Cranberry Creme Brulee Food

SIMPLE VANILLA CREME BRULEE WITH BERRY COULIS

Steps:

• For the creme brulee: Arrange an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Place four 6-ounce ramekins in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring a kettle or saucepan with water to a boil.
• Bring the heavy cream to a light simmer over medium heat in a small saucepan. Whisk the sugar, salt and egg yolks in a large bowl or measuring cup. Slowly pour the hot cream into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly until it thickens. Stir in the vanilla extract.
• Pour or ladle the custard evenly into the ramekins. Carefully pour enough boiling water into the baking dish to come two-thirds of the way up the ramekins, making sure to keep the water out of the ramekins. Bake until the custard is set and firm when shaken, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the custards and let cool to room temperature on a rack, then chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• For the berry coulis: Add the berries, sugar, lemon zest and juice and mint to a food processor and puree until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
• When ready to serve, sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of sugar over a custard. Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar by keeping the flame close to the sugar but moving it constantly to get an even color. Repeat with the remaining custards. Alternatively, sprinkle sugar over all the custards and place on a baking sheet under the broiler for 4 to 5 minutes, depending on your broiler.
• Serve immediately with the berry coulis, a few fresh berries and a sprig of mint on top!

CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of the sugar together on low speed until just combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in a small saucepan until it's very hot to the touch but not boiled. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Add the vanilla and orange liqueur and pour into 6 to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.
• Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm.
• To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar carmelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.

THE BEST CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F. Line a large heavy roasting pan (a turkey roasting pan works great) with a clean kitchen towel and place 4 six-ounce ramekins on top of the towel spaced a few inches apart.
• Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Using the back of a paring knife, scrape the vanilla seeds from both halves of the pod. Add the seeds and pod to the cream. Whisk in the salt and 3 tablespoons of the sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.
• Vigorously whisk the yolks and 3 more tablespoons of the sugar in a large bowl until pale yellow and very thick and creamy, about 2 minutes. Alternatively, you can use an electric mixer on high speed and beat until pale yellow and very thick and creamy, about 1 minute.
• Whisking the yolks constantly, add a couple of teaspoons at a time from 1 cup of the hot cream, then increase to a steady stream until the cream is fully incorporated. (Don't pour too much hot cream at once or you'll end up with scrambled eggs.) The yolks are now tempered. Whisk the tempered yolks back into the remaining hot cream until combined. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or medium pitcher for easier pouring; discard the vanilla pods.
• Skim the foam off the top of the custard by placing a clean paper towel on top and lightly pressing down so it touches the surface and absorbs some of the liquid. This will make for a completely smooth and silky custard. Fill the ramekins with the custard, about 3/4 cup per ramekin.
• Carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan halfway up the sides of the ramekins without getting any water in the custard. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake until the custard is set around the edges but still has a slight jiggle in the center, 35 to 45 minutes. Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and transfer the ramekins to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Then refrigerate until very cold, about 3 hours.
• Just before serving, evenly spread 1 tablespoon of the sugar over the top of a custard. Hold a kitchen torch 2 inches above the surface. Starting in the center of the ramekin, move the flame in a circular motion and work your way out to the edges to caramelize the sugar. Repeat with the remaining sugar and custards.
• Alternatively, arrange a rack in the top position of the oven and heat the broiler on high. Place the ramekins on a rack set inside a baking sheet and broil until deep golden brown, 15 to 60 seconds, checking every 10 seconds.
• Freeze the custards for 5 minutes before serving (see Cook's Note).

CRANBERRY CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a large saucepan, combine cranberries, granulated sugar, water and salt. Cook over medium heat 12-15 minutes or until berries pop, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Spoon 2 tablespoons sauce into each of eight 6-oz. broiler-safe ramekins or custard cups; refrigerate 10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate remaining sauce until serving., For custard, in a small saucepan, heat 1 cup cream over medium heat until bubbles form around sides of pan; remove from heat. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and granulated sugar until smooth. Slowly stir in hot cream. Stir in vanilla and remaining cream. , Place prepared ramekins in a baking pan large enough to hold them without touching. Spoon custard over cranberry sauce. Place pan on oven rack; add 1 in. of very hot water to pan. Bake 35-40 minutes or until set (centers will still be soft). Immediately remove ramekins from water bath to a wire rack; cool 10 minutes. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or until cold., To caramelize topping with a kitchen torch, gently blot surface of custard with a paper towel to remove any moisture. Sprinkle tops with superfine sugar. Hold torch flame 2 in. above custard surface and rotate it slowly until sugar is evenly caramelized., To caramelize topping in a broiler, place ramekins on a baking sheet; let stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Preheat broiler. Gently blot surface of custard with a paper towel to remove any moisture. Sprinkle tops with superfine sugar. Broil 3-4 in. from heat 1-2 minutes or until sugar is caramelized., Serve custards with remaining cranberry sauce.