She’ll enjoy breaking through its crispy top into smooth custard base
ANYONE who’s had creme brulee before would attest to the pleasure of cracking the crispy top, before indulging in the velvety smooth custard below perfumed with shards of caramel.
Creme brulee is basically custard with a layer of hardened caramelised sugar. Although most people are familiar with its French name, it is known as burnt cream or trinity cream in England, and may have its origin in the 14th century as crema catalana in Spain.
Traditionally flavoured with vanilla, it may also have other flavourings such as cinnamon, lemon or lavender, and may be garnished with fruit.
Bake until the creme brulee sets but still remains wobbly in the centre. — Photos by LOW LAY PHON/The Star
There are several methods of making the custard but I’ve found that the method in this recipe creates the smoothest and fluffiest creme brulee.
The other methods either prescribe the use of a bain-marie, which I found created a custard that was too airy and didn’t set, or the cold cream method which gave me a custard that was too stiff.
The only investment that you need to make in order to serve creme brulee at home is the torch.
Melt the sugar with a torch to form a crispy top and then allow the creme brulee to sit for about five minutes.
If you are able to get hold of a butane torch, you’ll enjoy the fire power that the butane gas provides. Otherwise, a propane-powered one will be sufficient for home users.
The cost of owning one has dropped so dramatically that you can get a good metal one these days from a bakery supply shop for less than RM30.
I couldn’t believe how affordable they had become when I had to replace the plastic one that had cost me RM80.
Separate the yolks from the whites to use the yolks only.
Although you may torch castor sugar for the top, I prefer brown sugar because it lends a bit of a smoky flavour to the caramel.
Make sure that it’s the dry brown sugar that you can pour and not the soft brown sugar that you pack into a cup for baking.
When preparing for this dessert, all the women in my office got a ramekin each.
One of them remarked that a dessert like this really appeals to them. Since it was made with Mothers Day in mind, I hope you will try making it and give your mum a treat. Happy Mothers Day!
Creme brulee Ingredients
950ml heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
225g castor sugar
6 large egg yolks
8-12 tsp brown sugar
Method
Heat cream in a saucepan over medium fire until it almost comes to a boil, add vanilla essence and then allow the cream to cool down.
Add sugar to the egg yolks and whisk until fluffy. Strain a little bit of the hot cream into the mixture and continue whisking to temper the eggs.
Strain the remaining cream into the egg mixture and whisk until combined.
Whisk the egg yolks with sugar until fluffy to the ribbon stage.
Pour the custard mixture into eight to 12 ramekins, depending on the size of the ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large roasting pan.
To keep the custard from curdling, pour boiling water into the pan until the water comes about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake in a 160°C oven for 35 to 40 minutes until it sets but is still wobbly in the centre.
Remove the ramekins from the water bath and wrap each individually with cling film.
Pour the egg mixture into the ramekins until about 1cm from the rim.
Chill them in the refrigerator for at least two hours and you can continue storing them chilled for up to three days.
Bring them out to room temperature 30 minutes before torching to allow any condensation to dissipate or it will interfere with the caramelisation of the sugar.
To serve, spread 1 teaspoon of brown sugar over the top of each creme brulee, tapping to get an even layer. Using a torch, melt the sugar to form a crispy top.
Allow the creme brulee to sit for about five minutes to harden the caramel before serving.
