Almond Creme Brulee Food

CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes.
• Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

CHOCOLATE CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Place six (8-ounce) ramekins in a roasting pan large enough to hold them completely flat.
• In a large heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolks, and sugar until just combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in a medium saucepan. Off the heat, add the chocolate and espresso and whisk until the chocolate is melted. Slowly whisk the cream mixture into the egg mixture, then whisk in the coffee liqueur and vanilla. Transfer to a large measuring cup and pour into the prepared ramekins until full.
• Place the pan in the oven and carefully pour enough of the hottest tap water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the custards are set on the edges but still a little jiggly in the middle when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm.
• To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on each custard. With a kitchen blowtorch held one inch from the surface of the creme, heat the sugar until it caramelizes evenly. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve.

VANILLA CRèME BRûLéE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Put the cream, milk and vanilla pod into a pan and heat to boiling point. Cover and leave to infuse for 10 mins. Whisk the egg yolks and 3 tbsp of sugar together until pale and thick. Add the vanilla extract and pour the boiling cream onto the mixture. Stir well, then pour into two ramekins. Place the ramekins in a bain marie and cook in the oven for about 20 mins or until just set. Leave to cool.
• Heat the grill. Sprinkle the cold brûlée with a thin, even layer of sugar, and caramelise under the very hot grill (or use a blowtorch). Repeat several times until you have a golden crackling topping. Leave to cool and serve within 2 hrs with warm Almond puff pastry sticks (see below).

ALMOND CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Heat cream in a heavy saucepan.
• Add granulated sugar and stir until dissolved.
• Beat egg yolks until light and creamy.
• Add t he hot cream to the egg yolks gradually, whipping constantly with a wire whisk (not an electric beater). Stir in remaining ingredients except the brown sugar.
• Pour into a 6-cup souffle dish, and sprinkle brown sugar on top.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes, or until custard tests done. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : This is not for anyone on a low cal, low fat, or low cholesterol diet.

MACARONS CREME BRULEE (CREME BRULEE FRENCH ALMOND MACAROONS)

Steps:

• One hour before starting, take the egg whites out of the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celcuis.
• Mix the icing sugar, caster sugar and ground almonds in a blender until they form a fine powder.
• Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of caster (superfine) sugar until they form soft peaks, then when it begins to look 'moussey' (not sure how to translate "commence a mousser"), add 20g of sugar and whisk until the egg whites form stiff peaks.
• Tip the egg white mixture into the almond mixture and and fold (the recipes says "macaronnez", I don't think that's translatable!) together using a spatula until they form a smooth paste but be careful not to let them become liquidy.
• Using a 8mm piping bag, pipe little mounds (about 60) of the mixture on a greased baking sheet, spacing them about 3-4cm apart.
• Leave in the oven for 12-14 minutes, being careful not to let them brown too much. After that time, take them out of the oven and allow them to cool before decorating. Turn the oven down to 90 degrees Celcius.
• While they're cooling, beat the egg yolks and sugar together until they become pale.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the cream with the vanilla until it thickens slightly, then tip it into the egg yolk mixture. Mix together gently so it doesn't turn into a mousse.
• Pour the creme into a greased flan or pie dish measuring about 18cm (7-8 inches) and place in the oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes. After that time, leave it to cool for an hour, then place it in the fridge to set for at least four hours.
• When you're ready to serve (finally!), take the creme out of the fridge and stamp out discs the same size as the macaroons, and place on the flat side of one macaroon. Sprinkle with demerera sugar and caramelize using a blow torch, then place on a small tea plate, placing another macaroon flat side down on one edge as a 'lid' to make 30 macaroons.
• I promise you it's worth the effort! They look really impressive, but it made me realize how hard French patissiers must work.

ORANGE-ALMOND CREME BRULEE TARTLETS

Steps:

• Make the crusts: Pulse flour, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds. Whisk together egg, yolk, and water. With machine running, quickly add egg mixture. Pulse until mixture just begins to hold together. Press dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Set six 4-inch tart rings on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roll out dough to a 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut out six 6-inch circles, rerolling scraps as needed. Press dough into bottoms and up sides of tart rings, patching any holes or tears, leaving an overhang at the top of each. Prick bottoms of tart shells all over with a fork, and freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Trim excess dough flush with edges of rings using a knife.
• Bake, pressing down dough if puffing, until lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
• Make orange caramelized almonds: Remove zest from orange in strips using a vegetable peeler; reserve for filling. Cut away pith; slice fruit along membranes to release segments into a bowl. Squeeze juice from membranes into bowl; discard. Reserve half the segments for another use; coarsely chop remaining segments.
• Heat sugar and water in a saucepan over high heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, washing down sides of pan. Cook, swirling often, until sugar is pale amber and starts to caramelize. Add almonds, and stir to toast. Cook until medium to dark amber in color. Add orange and juice and a pinch of salt. Remove from heat, and stir until smooth.
• Make the filling: Bring cream and reserved orange zest to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat; cover, and let stand for 2 hours. Spread 1 tablespoon orange caramelized almonds in a flat, even layer onto bottom of each tart shell (you will have more almonds than needed to cover the tart shell bottoms; reserve remaining almonds for another use). Freeze tart shells until caramel is firm, about 20 minutes.
• Bring cream to just under a boil. Meanwhile, whisk together yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Slowly whisk cream into egg mixture. Strain through a fine sieve; discard zest.
• Divide cream mixture evenly among tart shells, filling each to the top. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until just set, about 20 minutes. Let cool, then refrigerate for 1 hour to set.
• Sprinkle tops with sugar. Hold a small handheld kitchen torch at a 90-degree angle 3 to 4 inches from surface of each tart, and move flame back and forth until sugar is caramelized and deep golden brown, or broil until sugar is caramelized. Serve immediately.