eclaire (what’s in a) name?

a couple of years ago, my aunt sent us the gift of a creme brulee kit, complete with ramekins and a mini blow torch. i was so excited by this present that i got a little creme brulee happy, and made the dessert more times than i can count (the pic below is from that era of creme brulee at every party, circa 2006).

not surprisingly, i got very, very sick of the dessert, and completely stopped making it because i couldn’t stand the thought of the rich, creamy custard with the crunchy sugar top. i know, you’re probably wondering what’s wrong with me, because even as i write that, i am having a hard time understanding why i didn’t make this delicious dish for well over two years.

this spring, however, i decided to make a batch again for a family dinner. instead of the vanilla bean creme brulee that i used to make regularly (it’s an awesome recipe my good friend tyler gave me), i concocted a coconut version. honestly, i think i enjoyed the vanilla a lot more than the coconut, but i’ll give you both recipes and you can decide what to make.

if you’ve never made creme brulee before, i think you’ll be very surprised with how easy it is. you merely heat up some heavy cream, beat some egg yolks, temper those yolks (this is the most important step!), and pour the batter into dishes that can be cooked in a water bath. when the dish is baked, you allow it to sit in the fridge to chill – easy, right? as for the brulee part, if you don’t have a blow torch to melt sugar on top, simply turn your oven on to the broil setting and let the sugar melt in the oven. really, it couldn’t be simpler. so what are you waiting for? this creamy, rich, indulgent dessert is just beckoning for you to make it!

coconut creme brulee

adapted from epicurious.com
yields 8 creme brulees

• 1/2c plus 6t sugar
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 large egg
• 2c whipping cream
• 2/3c coconut milk
• 2/3c dried, shredded coconut
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1. preheat the oven to 350°
2. beat 1/2c sugar, egg yolks, and egg in a mixing bowl with an electric beater
3. combine cream and coconut milk in heavy saucepan, and bring to just under a boil
4. spoon a little of the hot mixture into the yolks and stir well to temper them (ie so they don’t scramble)
5. pour the rest of the hot liquid into the yolks and whisk
6. sprinkle the shredded coconut into the base of each ramekin, pouring the custard over the top
7. place ramekins into roasting pan and pour enough hot water into the pan to cover half of the ramekins
8. bake about 35 minutes, until the custards are set in the middle when you give them a little shake
9. cool on the counter, then put in the fridge overnight to chill
10. to brulee the sugar, sprinkle 1t sugar over each cup and use a mini blow torch in light circular motions to melt the sugar
11. or, preheat boiler and place custard cups on baking sheet. sprinkle 1t sugar over each. broil until sugar browns, rotating baking sheet for even browning and watching closely, about 2 minutes. chill custards at least 1 hour before serving.

vanilla bean creme brulee

recipe courtesy of Tyler White

• 2c heavy cream
• 1 cup (soy) milk
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped (i’ve used 2t of vanilla extract in lieu of the bean when i didn’t have a bean on hand. it still tastes extremely good, just not over the top amazing. feel free to substitute as needed.)
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1/2c granulated sugar plus 6T sugar
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1. preheat the oven to 350°
2. heat the heavy cream, milk, and vanilla bean in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat until hot but not boiling
3. place the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with electric beaters until pale yellow in color and all of the sugar has dissolved
4. temper 1/2c of the cream mixture into the egg mixture and whisk to incorporate (again, we don’t want scrambled eggs!)
5. add the remainder of the cream mixture to the bowl and whisk vigorously to incorporate
6. strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve (i sometimes skip this step, and just pull out the bean from the mixture)
7. pour the custard into 6 ramekins or gratin dishes, and place the dishes in a roasting pan
8. pour enough hot water into the pan to come up half way on the sides of the ramekins
9. place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, turning the sheet pan around after 15 minutes to ensure even cooking
10. jiggle the pan slightly to see if the custard is set before pulling them out of the oven
11. remove the dishes from the oven and let them cool at room temperature before placing in the fridge for at least 2 hours to completely cool
12. once the brulee has cooled, evenly spread 1T of sugar over each ramekin and use a blowtorch to caramelize the sugar to form a candy coating, keeping the blowtorch moving in a circular motion to prevent the sugar from burning (or, follow the broiling instructions listed as step #11 in the coconut recipe above)
13. serve once the sugar has cooled and is hard like candy, and enjoy!

 


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