Flambeed Pineapple Creme Brulee Food

FLAMBEED PINEAPPLE CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F.
• To make the custard:.
• Place 4 (6-ounce to 1 cup) ramekins on a baking pan. Place a saucepan on the burner. Add the cream, sugar, and the vanilla bean. Scrape the little seeds out of one half, and add them to the pot. Bring it to 'scald' (just before it begins to boil), but watch it because it can burn. Pull off the heat.
• Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until well blended. Gradually, whisk the hot cream mixture into the yolks. Divide the custard evenly among the ramekins.
• Place the baking pan in the oven, and add some hot tap water into the pan to come partially up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until just set, for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until the custards are well set, about 2 to 3 hours.
• To make the pineapple:.
• Peel, core and slice the pineapple off the core lengthwise, and into 6-inch thick pieces.
• In a medium pan, heat the canola oil. Pop in the pineapple and let it cook until browned on the edges, then dust with brown sugar to caramelize. Bring to a sizzle allowing the fruit to get nicely coated and slightly brown on the edges. Turn off the heat. Add a good shot of rum (if you do it while the burner is on, you may well need those firemen to put out the blaze!). Turn the heat on and let it 'flambe'. Add a generous bit of butter to build sheen and thicken this caramel sauce.
• When the fire subsides, place 2 pieces of pineapple onto your serving plate, top with a nice mound of creme brulee, dust it all again with brown sugar and torch it to a nice crunchy finish.

PINEAPPLE RUM FLAMBE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook the butter and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Place the pineapple in the syrup in a single layer, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until browned on the first side. Turn with a small spatula or tongs and cook on the second side until the pineapples are soft and richly browned. Add rum and flambe. Arrange on dessert plates.

CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, cream together egg yolks and sugar with a whisk until the mixture is pale yellow and thick.
• Pour cream into a medium saucepan over low heat. Using a paring knife, split the vanilla bean down the middle, scrape out the seeds and add them to saucepan. Bring cream to a brief simmer, do not boil or it will overflow. Remove from heat and temper the yolks by gradually whisking the hot vanilla cream into yolk and sugar mixture. Do not add hot cream too quickly or the eggs will cook.
• Divide custard into 6 (6-ounce) ramekins, about 3/4 full. Place ramekins in a roasting pan and fill pan with enough water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until barely set around the edges, about 40 minutes. You may want to cover loosely with foil to prevent browning. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Transfer the ramekins to the refrigerator and chill for 2 hours. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar on top of each chilled custard. Hold a kitchen torch 2 inches above surface to brown the sugar and form a crust. Garnish with cookies and fresh fruit. Serve at once.
• Variation: Before dividing into ramekins: add 3 ounces of shaved dark chocolate for chocolate creme brulee; add 4 slices of crystallized ginger for ginger creme brulee; add 3 slices of orange peel for orange creme brulee. Let steep 20 minutes to infuse the flavor. Strain out the ginger and orange peel before baking.

FLAMBEED PINEAPPLE

Steps:

• Cut each pineapple round into 4 wedges. Trim core from point of each wedge, and discard; set wedges aside.
• Heat sugar in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until sugar melts and turns golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add pineapple; toss to combine.
• Stand back, and carefully pour in liqueur; immediately tilt skillet slightly, and ignite alcohol. When flames subside and caramel melts, stir in cream, lemon juice, vanilla seeds, and salt. Reduce heat to medium; let sauce boil, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Spoon pineapple and sauce over cake slices, and serve immediately.