Tuesday, September 30, 2008

TWD: Creme Brulee

For your consideration: Crème Brulee from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, page 393, featured this week on Tuesdays with Dorrie.

Simple to make, easy elegance. Breakfast of Champions. I waited until the last minute and made these last night. I just (just) toasted these up and needed to taste test them to be sure they passed muster. I have a butane torch (thanks D!), but haven’t quite figured out how to use it yet. I’m a little freaked out by it and am afraid I’ll scar myself for life, but DH said he’d help me work it out. Since it’s 8:00 am and he’s already left for work, here they are brulee’d under the broiler. Yummy, but way too sweet to eat the whole thing before 8:00 am.

I made a half batch (yes I used 1.5 egg yolks) and made 3 ramekins. I followed an idea from Dorie’s Playing Around cooks notes and made espresso brulees, but didn’t feel like cheesecloth, beans and straining, (oh my) and following the recipe to the letter, so I added a small palmful – maybe about 2 tablespoons – of instant espresso powder to the cream mixture before whisking into the egg mixture. Works for me.

This was a good recipe and the caramelized sugar was crunchy and had nice texture. If I make this again, next time I’ll use less sugar in the custard. I can’t be sure if the added sweetness was because I messed with the recipe and cut it in half, or if this is the way it was intended. The espresso powder really adds an interesting flavor that lingers on the tongue.

Side note: Remind me to test the temperature of my oven and then see if I need to (or if I can) recalibrate it. I think it’s off, as this recipe took longer than I think it should have to cook, just like the Dimply Plum Cake.

Thanks to Mari of Mevrouw Cupcake for choosing this recipe. To see what all the other TWDers did with this recipe, check out the blogroll here. If you'd like to try making Crème Brulee for yourself, you can find the recipe in Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours.

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21 comments:

  1. ha! breakfast of champions, indeed! why didn't i think of that .. it's eggs and milk, sounds like breakfast to me.

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  2. Creme Brulee is my fave!!! I so have to try this.

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  3. I don't think it is your oven... it seems that everyone had to bake these longer! They look great!!

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  4. I questioned my oven temperature being off but everyone's took longer to bake. Yours look great!

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  5. i've seen several other TWDers say it took longer- i think it depends on how thick your custard is...my ramekin was very shallow so 60 min was just fine - but it was a very very thin layer of custard.

    your espresso version looks fabulous! maybe you forgot to halve the sugar? mine was not too sweet at all

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  6. Hi Lisa, what is TWD? Please clue me in = ) CB has been a favorite of mine and I slowly crack the thin layer of hard sugar and eat one bite bit by bit enjoying every bite.... what is not to love about CB--

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  7. Lisa, I think it took longer for everybody; probably due to the relative low # of yolks in this recipe. I thought my oven ran hot, but I recently bought an oven thermometer and it's actually testing pretty true.

    You are dharmagirl are creme brulee variation twins (and I read your posts in succession!) - she used expresso powder also.

    imo, most desserts benefit from cutting sugar, if it doesn't affect texture...
    Nancy

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  8. Ooh, that looks so yummy. This recipe and the last needed more time for most people. Strangely enough, mine cooked in 50 minutes leading me to believe that I need my oven calibrated!

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  9. Yeah, you're not the first to say it needed longer in the oven. I was a little intimidated by the torch, too. Now I'm okay with it...if I can get it back from my husband!

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  10. I have never made creme brulee (I'm a cookie kind of gal, can you tell?). It sure looks good though! Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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  11. What an elegant dessert!! Looks lovely!!

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  12. nice dessert. I bet it was sos o yumy. The pork spare ribs in your previous post look so good.

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  13. After seeing all this creme brulées, I'm now seriosly craving it! And yours with expresso, sounds extra yummy!

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  14. Ohh man! Creme Brulee is one of my all-time FAVES!

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  15. Yum! I wish I could eat creme brulee for breakfast.

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  16. Wow These look very tasty. What a nice way to start the day.

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  17. Sounds like a great breakfast to me! I love instant espresso powder--it comes in handy for all sorts of things.

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  18. What a great idea to add instant espresso powder to your crème brûlées, they look great! I added star anise and white chocolate to mine.

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  19. Espresso creme brulee sounds good!

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  20. I think it makes a lovely substitution for a regular morning cup of coffee :) Looks yummy.

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  21. Creme Brulee for breakfast..... sounds decadent, but i suppose not so much worse than an eggs benedict with hollandaise and bacon!

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