Basic Crème Brûlée

Name: Basic Crème Brûlée
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 5
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 118 milliliters firmly packed light brown sugar; 5 egg yolks; 1 sprig Garnishes: fresh raspberries, fresh mint; 118 milliliters sugar; 1 Tbsp vanilla extract; 473 milliliters whipping cream

Basic Crème Brûlée might be just the side dish you are searching for. Watching your figure? This gluten free and vegetarian recipe has 555 calories, 5g of protein, and 40g of fat per serving. This recipe serves 5. This recipe covers 7% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. A mixture of whipping cream, egg yolks, garnishes: raspberries, and a handful of other ingredients are all it takes to make this recipe so yummy. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes about 45 minutes.

Instructions

Combine first 4 ingredients, stirring with a wire whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture is smooth.

Ingredients you will need

Sugar

Equipment you will use

Whisk

Pour mixture evenly into 5 (5- x 1-inch) round individual baking dishes; place dishes in a large roasting pan or a 15- x 10- x 1-inch jellyroll pan. Prepare 1/2-inch water bath (see Brle Basics below).

Ingredients you will need

Water

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Roasting Pan

Bake at 275 for 45 to 50 minutes or until almost set. Cool custards in water in pan on a wire rack.

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Water

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Wire Rack

Oven

Frying Pan

Remove from pan; cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Sprinkle about 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar evenly over each custard; place custards in jellyroll pan.

Ingredients you will need

Brown Sugar

Custard

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Broil 5 inches from heat (with electric oven door partially opened) until brown sugar melts.

Ingredients you will need

Brown Sugar

Equipment you will use

Oven

Let stand 5 minutes to allow sugar to harden.

Ingredients you will need

Sugar

Note: All baking times are for 5- x 1-inch round individual baking dishes. As a general rule, to use 4-, 6-, or 8-ounce custard cups, bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. When the crme brle is done, the center will still be slightly liquid and a knife will not come out clean. The yield will vary with different size dishes: For 4-ounce cups you'll get 10 servings, for 6-ounce cups you'll get 7 servings, and for 8-ounce cups you'll get 4 servings.

Ingredients you will need

Custard

Equipment you will use

Oven

Knife

Combine 4 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate and 1/2 cup whipping cream from basic recipe in a small heavy saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly until chocolate melts.

Ingredients you will need

Semisweet Chocolate

Whipping Cream

Chocolate

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

Add remaining 1 1/2 cups whipping cream; reduce vanilla to 1 teaspoon. Proceed as directed in basic recipe, baking for 55 minutes. To make a Chocolate-Raspberry version, place 8 to 10 fresh raspberries in each baking dish, add chocolate custard, and increase baking time to 1 hour and 5 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Whipping Cream

Raspberries

Chocolate

Custard

Vanilla

Equipment you will use

Baking Pan

Place 8 to 10 fresh blackberries or raspberries in each baking dish; pour custard mixture over berries. Proceed as directed in basic recipe, baking for 45 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Blackberries

Raspberries

Berries

Custard

Equipment you will use

Baking Pan

Combine 1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules and 1/4 cup whipping cream from basic recipe; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes or until coffee dissolves.

Ingredients you will need

Instant Coffee

Whipping Cream

Coffee

Add remaining 1 3/4 cups whipping cream; reduce vanilla to 1 teaspoon. Proceed as directed in basic recipe, baking for 45 to 50 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Whipping Cream

Vanilla

Double Raspberry Crme Brle: Reduce vanilla to 1 teaspoon; add 1 additional egg yolk and 1 1/2 tablespoons raspberry liqueur to custard mixture.

Ingredients you will need

Raspberry Liqueur

Raspberries

Egg Yolk

Custard

Vanilla

Place 8 to 10 fresh raspberries in each baking dish; pour custard mixture over berries. Proceed as directed in basic recipe, baking for 55 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Raspberries

Berries

Custard

Equipment you will use

Baking Pan

Almond Crme Brle: Reduce vanilla to 1 teaspoon; add 1 additional egg yolk, 2 tablespoons almond liqueur, and 1/4 cup chopped toasted almonds to custard mixture. Proceed as directed in basic recipe, baking for 1 hour.

Ingredients you will need

Egg Yolk

Almonds

Custard

Liqueur

Vanilla

Orange Crme Brle: Reduce vanilla to 1 teaspoon; add 1 additional egg yolk, 2 tablespoons grated orange rind, and 2 tablespoons orange liqueur to custard mixture. Proceed as directed in basic recipe, baking for 1 hour.

Ingredients you will need

Orange Liqueur

Orange Zest

Egg Yolk

Custard

Vanilla

Orange

Peppermint Crme Brle: Reduce vanilla to 1 teaspoon; add 1 additional egg yolk and 3 tablespoons peppermint schnapps. Proceed as directed in basic recipe, baking for 50 minutes. Substitute 5 hard peppermint candies, crushed, for brown sugar; broil as directed

Ingredients you will need

Peppermint Candy

Brown Sugar

Peppermint

Egg Yolk

Schnapps

Vanilla

Combine 4 ounces white chocolate and 1/2 cup whipping cream from basic recipe in a small heavy saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly until chocolate melts.

Ingredients you will need

White Chocolate

Whipping Cream

Chocolate

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

Add remaining 1 1/2 cups whipping cream; reduce vanilla to 1 teaspoon. Proceed as directed in basic recipe.

Ingredients you will need

Whipping Cream

Vanilla

Place 1 tablespoon chopped macadamia nuts, toasted, in each baking dish, and pour custard over nuts.

Ingredients you will need

Macadamia Nuts

Custard

Nuts

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Baking Pan

Bake as directed for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

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Oven

Ginger Crme Brle: Reduce vanilla to 1 teaspoon; add 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger to custard mixture. Proceed as directed in basic recipe, baking for 1 hour and 5 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Ginger

Custard

Vanilla

Cut off the flat end of 2 garlic heads, and spread apart whole cloves, leaving tight outer covering intact. Trim pointed end so head will sit flat.

Ingredients you will need

Whole Clove

Garlic

Spread

Place garlic heads, trimmed ends down, on a sheet of aluminum foil.

Ingredients you will need

Garlic

Equipment you will use

Aluminum Foil

Drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil; wrap in aluminum foil.

Ingredients you will need

Olive Oil

Wrap

Equipment you will use

Aluminum Foil

Bake at 350 for 1 hour; cool. Squeeze out pulp from each garlic clove.

Ingredients you will need

Whole Garlic Cloves

Equipment you will use

Oven

Reduce sugar to 1 tablespoon, omit vanilla, and add 1 teaspoon salt and garlic pulp to custard mixture.

Ingredients you will need

Custard

Vanilla

Garlic

Sugar

Salt

Place mixture in container of electric blender, and process until smooth. Proceed as directed in basic recipe, baking for 40 minutes.

Equipment you will use

Blender

Onion Crme Brle: Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over low heat; add 1 cup coarsely chopped onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes or until caramelized. Reduce sugar to 1 tablespoon, omit vanilla, and add 1 teaspoon salt and caramelized onion to custard mixture.

Ingredients you will need

Onion

Custard

Vanilla

Butter

Sugar

Salt

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Place mixture in container of electric blender, and process until smooth. Proceed as directed in basic recipe, baking for 50 minutes.

Equipment you will use

Blender

Roquefort-and-Black Pepper Crme Brle: Reduce sugar to 1 tablespoon, omit vanilla, and add 1/4 cup Roquefort cheese and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to custard mixture.

Ingredients you will need

Black Pepper

Roquefort Cheese

Custard

Vanilla

Sugar

Place mixture in container of electric blender, and process until smooth. Proceed as directed in basic recipe, baking for 45 minutes.

Equipment you will use

Blender

Don't panic when you see the term water bath. A water bath is simply a roasting pan or jellyroll pan filled with water. The water creates a cushion from the heat of the oven, allowing the custards to bake slowly without curdling.

Ingredients you will need

Water

Equipment you will use

Roasting Pan

Oven

Don't burn yourself. Before you take the water bath out of the oven, remove some of the water with a basting bulb or a long-handled ladle.

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Water

Equipment you will use

Ladle

Oven

When you broil the brown sugar, get the crme brles as close to the heating element as possible. To do this, place an inverted roasting pan on the top shelf of the oven; then place the crme brles on a baking sheet on top of the roasting pan.

Ingredients you will need

Brown Sugar

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Roasting Pan

Oven

An adventurous alternative to the broiler is a welding torch. Your dinner guests will think you have gone mad, but the torch gives the ultimate glassy crust. Torching is the professional chef's method of choice.

Ingredients you will need

Crust

Equipment you will use

Broiler

Place the custards in a roasting pan filled with ice, and then broil them. The ice keeps the custards cold while the sugar melts.

Ingredients you will need

Sugar

Ice

Equipment you will use

Roasting Pan

You can bake the crme brles ahead of time, but wait until just a few minutes before serving to caramelize the sugar. The caramelized sugar will begin to liquefy if the custards sit for more than an hour.

Ingredients you will need

Sugar

Equipment you will use

Oven

We found that Dixie Crystals brand brown sugar works best for crme brles. It caramelizes evenly to a perfect golden brown.

Ingredients you will need

Brown Sugar

Don't waste your money on salamanders sold in gourmet catalogs and used for caramelizing the top of crme brles. They work like branding irons to melt the brown sugar. When we tried one, we ended up with burnt--not caramelized--sugar.

Ingredients you will need

Brown Sugar

Sugar