Foolproof Slow Cooker Crème Brûlée Vanilla Custard Food

STEF'S SLOW COOKER CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Whisk yolks with 1/4 cup sugar and salt in a bowl until smooth; gently whisk in cream and vanilla extract. Strain custard mixture into a liquid measuring cup.
• Line bottom of a 6-quart oval slow cooker with a folded kitchen towel to create a level surface so ramekins won't slide around. Set four 4-ounce ramekins on the towel. Fill slow cooker with enough water to come halfway up sides of ramekins.
• Pour custard evenly into ramekins. Drape paper towels over top of slow cooker liner to absorb any condensation during baking; cover with lid to secure.
• Cook on Low until custard is set but jiggles slightly, about 2 hours.
• Transfer ramekins to a rack to cool completely, about 45 minutes. Refrigerate custards, uncovered, until cold, at least 3 hours.
• Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over each ramekin and shake gently to distribute evenly. Heat the sugar using a culinary torch until melted and browned, about 1 minute.

FOOLPROOF SLOW COOKER CRèME BRûLéE (VANILLA CUSTARD)

Steps:

• Decide how many 4-ounce ramekins will fit in your slow cooker (in my 6 quart model, I could fit four). Line the slow cooker with a kitchen towel, thick potholders, or create individual foil rings for each ramekin you'll be using. The idea is to keep the ramekins from directly touching the bottom of the crockpot.
• Place the empty ramekins in the crockpot and measure enough water for it to be halfway up the sides of the ramekins. In a 6-qt slow cooker, I used about 1 quart of water for the water bath. Remove the ramekins and set aside.
• Combine the cream and milk in a medium mixing bowl, preferably one with a spout. Add the vanilla bean seeds and whisk well. Add the egg yolks and sugar, whisking well.
• Pour the custard base into the ramekins about ¾ full. Carefully transfer the filled ramekins to the slow cooker. Drape two paper towels on the rim of the slow cooker to keep condensation from building.
• Cook the custards on LOW for 2 to 2½ hours, or until the centers are just set with a slight jiggle in the middle.
• Remove from the slow cooker and allow to cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 3 hours. If holding longer, cover them with plastic wrap to avoid condensation on the custard's surface.
• When ready to serve, sprinkle about one teaspoon of sugar on the custard's surface and gently spread to cover. Using a chef's torch, toast the sugar until it's brown and bubbling (it will harden as it cools. Serve and enjoy!
• Crème Brûlée can be baked and chilled up to 2 days ahead. Try to make the burnt sugar topping just before serving, if possible.

SLOW COOKER CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Place a 1 1/2 qt heat-proof dish (or 4 6-ounce ramekins) in a 6 qt slow cooker. Add hot water to come 3/4 of the way up the sides.
• Whip together cream, egg yolk, sugar and vanilla. Pour into dish (or divide equally into ramekins). Cover the slow cooker and cook on high 2-4 hours. The edges should be set, but the center of the custards should still be jiggly. It is much harder to overcook these in the slow cooker than the oven, so don't worry.
• VERY CAREFULLY remove the baking dish/ramekins (use oven mitts! ramekins can be removed with tongs; wrap rubberbands around the tips to provide friction and prevent slips). Allow to cool completely on the countertop, then refrigerate 3-4 hours until very cold.
• Spread sugar evenly over the top(s) and brown with a hand torch, or place as close as possible to the broiler element of your oven for 3-5 minutes. Cool briefly and refrigerate until ready to serve.

PERFECT CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat cream and 2 tbls sugar until just hot (small bubbles will form around the edge and a bit of steam will be released when cream is stirred).
• While cream is heating, separate two eggs, reserving the whites for another use (or discarding). Put the yolks in a bowl.
• Whisk in vanilla bean paste. This paste, made by Nielsen-Massey Vanillas and available in many upscale culinary shops and some spice shops, is a godsend and no cook who uses vanilla should be without it. If you don't have this paste, split one plump, long vanilla bean and scrape out the bean seeds inside. If you're particularly fond of vanilla, you may also add a scant amount of pure vanilla extract, but no more than 1/2 teaspoon.
• Add hot cream to egg yolk mixture and whisk thoroughly.
• Pour evenly into four creme brulee dishes.
• Place the creme brulee dishes in a suitably sized pan and add enough hot water (the hotter, the better) to reach about halfway up the sides of the dishes.
• Cover loosely with a piece of aluminum foil (do not seal, just place on the dishes).
• Bake for 25-27 minutes or until custard is just set.
• Let cool on countertop for about 10 minutes or so, then chill creme brulees in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3-4 hours. Wrapping tightly with plastic is not recommended because water will condense on underside of wrap and drip on the custard when removed.
• Immediately prior to serving, sprinkle a thin layer of sugar (about 1/16th inch deep) evenly over the custard. If any water puddles are present on the surface of the custard, absorb them carefully with a paper towel before sprinkling with sugar.
• Using (preferably) a creme brulee kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar using continuous movements with the flame. The sugar must not be scorched, which is easy to do if you let the flame linger in one location. Use as hot and large a flame as practicable so you can caramelize the sugar in short order and not "melt" the custard underneath.
• If you don't have a torch, a broiler can melt and caramelize the sugar, but this is not at all the preferred method. Careful attention should be paid while broiling and the dishes should be very close to the heat source.
• Once the sugar is caramelized, let cool briefly and serve. The crust should be glasslike and hard. Do not garnish with berries or chocolate kisses or mint leaves or whipped cream or any such nonsense. In my opinion, doing so detracts from the elegant simplicity of this classic dessert.

CREME BRULEE IN THE SLOW COOKER

Steps:

• In the bottom of the slow cooker put a clean towel to prevent the ramekins to click.
• In a bowl, mix egg yolks, sugar and vanilla seeds with a whisk. Add the cream and stir well.
• Pour in 4 ramekins that can contain 1/2 cup. Put the ramekins in the slow cooker. Pour hot water in the slow cooker until half of the ramekins.
• Cover and cook at low heat for 2 hours or until cream has set. The center must be slightly wobbly. Remove the ramekins of the slow cooker and let cool. Cover with plastic wrap. Put in fridge at least 4 hours or until cool completely.
• When ready to serve, sprinkle with a thin layer of sugar and caramelize quickly with a kitchen torch. You could also caramelize the creme brulee under the broiler of a very hot oven. Serve immediately.

CROCK POT CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk in the cream and vanilla.
• Divide among 4-6 small ramekins, or 1 large one, and put it/them in your CrockPot. Pour hot water around them so that it comes about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until set but still slightly jiggly in the middle. Take them out and let cool. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, until nice and cold.
• Sprinkle an even layer of sugar over each dish and caramelize with a torch or transfer to a cookie sheet and place under the broiler in the oven for about 2 minutes, just until the sugar is caramelized and golden. Turn the sheet around if you need to to help them caremelize evenly. Refrigerate again, or just let them sit on the countertop while you eat dinner or make coffee, just until the sugar is set and crackly.