Classic Infused Creme Brulee Food

CLASSIC CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the cream, egg yolks and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture reaches 160° or is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Stir in vanilla. , Transfer to eight 6-oz. ramekins or custard cups. Place cups in a baking pan; add 1 in. of boiling water to pan. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 25-30 minutes or until centers are just set (mixture will jiggle). Remove ramekins from water bath; cool for 10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours., One hour before serving, place custards on a baking sheet. Sprinkle each with 1-2 teaspoons brown sugar. Broil 8 in. from the heat for 4-7 minutes or until sugar is caramelized. Refrigerate leftovers.

CLASSIC CRèME BRûLéE

Steps:

• Put a rack in the middle of oven and preheat oven to 325°F.
• Pour cream into a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Using tip of a knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean, if using, into cream and add pod (if using vanilla extract, do not add it yet). Heat cream over moderate heat until hot but not boiling; remove from heat and discard pod.
• Whisk together yolks, granulated sugar, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Add hot cream in a slow stream, whisking constantly until combined. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and whisk in vanilla extract, if using. Ladle custard into ramekins.
• Arrange ramekins in a roasting pan and add enough boiling water to pan to reach halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake until custards are just set, 25 to 30 minutes. With tongs, transfer custards to a rack to cool, then refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 4 hours.
• Just before serving, sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly over custards. Move blowtorch flame evenly back and forth close to sugar until sugar is caramelized. Let stand until sugar is hardened, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Variation:
• Coffee Crème Brûlée: Stir 1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder into the hot cream and proceed as directed.

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.

CLASSIC INFUSED CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Place an oven rack slightly lower than center in oven and preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Whisk milk, cream, 2/3 cup sugar, salt, scrapings from vanilla bean, and split vanilla bean in a saucepan over medium heat until the mixture just reaches a boil; remove from heat and set aside to cool, about 10 minutes.
• Whisk egg yolks in a bowl for a few strokes; whisk in hot cream mixture about 1 tablespoon at a time at first, whisking thoroughly before adding the next amount. As the yolk mixture becomes warmer, increase the amount of cream mixture you whisk in to about 1/4 cup at a time.
• Strain the cream through a fine sieve and spoon into eight 4-ounce ramekins. Discard spent vanilla pod. Set the ramekins into a roasting pan and pour in enough hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the desserts are softly set, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the roasting pan and let the desserts cool in the water bath to room temperature. Chill in refrigerator at least 2 hours. Desserts will hold for 2 to 3 days in refrigerator before topping with sugar.
• Sprinkle about 1/2 tablespoon of sugar evenly over the top of each dessert. Use a kitchen torch to lightly brown and caramelize the sugar until melted, about 1 minute. Move the torch quickly to avoid burning. Let caramelized topping cool for about 10 minutes, then serve.

CLASSIC CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, 1 tablespoon of sugar and the vanilla bean. Bring to a scald. Meanwhile, put the remaining sugar, rum and egg yolks in a large bowl and whisk just to blend. While gently whisking the yolks, drizzle the hot cream into them to gradually warm them up. Strain into a pitcher. Divide the custard among 8 ramekins. Skim any bubbles off the surface. Put the cups in a roasting pan and add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the cups. Tightly cover the pan with foil and bake for 35-45 minutes. They should still jiggle slightly but their surfaces should be set. Let cool to room temperature in the bath, then remove the custards and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. To serve, sprinkle on some sugar and melt with the tip of a propane torch flame.

THYME-INFUSED CRéME BRULEE

Steps:

• In a pot over medium-low heat, bring cream to a simmer (DO NOT LET BOIL!).
• Remove from heat and add thyme; let steep several minutes, then discard thyme.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar about 3 minutes until thick and pale yellow.
• Very, very gradually whisk the hot cream into the yolk-sugar mixture. DO NOT ADD HOT CREAM QUICKLY OR IT WILL COOK THE EGGS.
• Distribute custard between 4 (6-oz) ramekins.
• Place ramekins in a shallow baking pan and fill pan with hot tap water to halfway up sides of ramekins, being careful not to let water splash into custards.
• Bake at 325F approximately 35 min until custards are just set around the edges with slightly jiggly centers.
• Remove from oven and let ramekins cool in the water bath 10 min, then chill custards in the fridge at least an hour.
• Sprinkle 1 Tbs sugar over each custard.
• Hold a kitchen torch 2 inches above each custard until sugar browns and forms a crust.
• Serve immediately.