Lemon Ginger Creme Brulee Food

LEMON CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325. From lemons, remove 6 strips peel (3"by 1" each)and squeeze 3 tablespoons juice.
• In 1-quart saucepan, heat cream, cinnamon stick, and lemon peel over med.-high heat just until simmering. Remove saucepan from heat;cover and let stand 15 minutes.(Cream will develop a thin skin on top;whisk in when mixing into egg yolks.) Remove cinnamon stick and lemon peel;discard.
• In large bowl, with whisk or fork, beat egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt until blended.Whisk for one minute(you don't want it to be grainy from the sugar, it should be smooth)Beat in warm cream mixture and lemon juice. Pour custard in six 3-oz. broiler safe ramekins or custard cups.
• Place ramekins in 13"by9" baking pan,carefully pour boiling water into baking pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or just until set (mixture will still be slightly soft in center). Remove ramekins from baking pan; cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or until well chilled.
• Up to 4 hours before serving, preheat broiler. In small bowl, combine cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Sprinkle tops of chilled custards with sugar mixture.
• Place ramekins on cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet with ramekins in broiler at closest position to source of heat and broil 1 to 2 minutes until sugar melts and browns slightly. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 4 hours. If not served within 4 hours, sugar topping will lose its crispness.

GINGER & LEMON GRASS CRèME BRULéE

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Place ginger and the lemongrass into a medium saucepan.
• Add the heavy cream and simmer gently for 25 minutes to infuse the flavours.
• Remove the infusion from the stove and strain through a fine sieve.
• In a mixing bowl whisk together the yolks, the sugar the lemon extract and the bitters.
• Slowly mix in the heavy cream infusion.
• Pour into ramekins or an oven casserole dish. Remove any foam from the top of mixture with a teaspoon.
• Place ramekins into a large casserole dish and pour hot water until the level is halfway up the sides of the ramekin dish. Put into oven and bake until the custard is firm (the center should jiggle just a little when you shake it) approximately 40 -50 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the water bath and completely cool before you cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• To serve.
• Sprinkle the top with granulated sugar and using a blow torch caramelize the sugar. The oven broiler can be used in place of the torch.
• Place the ramekins in a tray of cold water and ice and leave in the broiler for 3-5 minutes--just enough to caramelize the sugar.
• Variations: 1/4 teaspoon grated lime peel can be substituted for the lemon grass.

GINGER CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Mix egg yolks, eggs and 6 ounces of sugar until combined. Heat the cream to scalding, add ginger and gradually pour into egg mixture, stirring constantly. Add vanilla and salt.
• Using creme brulee molds or another baking ramekin evenly distribute mixture. Place in a shallow baking dish and fill dish half way up with water, creating a water bath.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 30 minutes or until set. Sprinkle granulated sugar on top of molds after they have cooled. Place molds under broiler to caramelize sugar. Garnish with mint leaves.

GINGER AND VANILLA BEAN CRèME BRûLéE

Steps:

• Make custard:
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Place three 4-inch-diameter fluted flan dishes* in each of two 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pans or place six 3/4-cup ramekins in 1 pan. Mix cream, sugar and ginger in heavy medium saucepan. Using small sharp knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean. Add seeds and bean to saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to simmer. Cover pan, reduce heat to very low and simmer gently 10 minutes to infuse flavors. Strain into large measuring cup.
• Whisk yolks in medium bowl until well blended. Gradually whisk in hot cream mixture just to blend. Return custard to measuring cup; divide among dishes. Pour enough hot water into pans to come halfway up sides of dishes. Carefully transfer pans to oven.
• Bake custards until almost set in center when pans are gently shaken, about 30 minutes for fluted flan dishes and 35 minutes for ramekins. Using metal spatula, transfer custards in dishes to work surface; cool 30 minutes. Chill at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.
• Make Crème Brûlée:
• Sprinkle 2 teaspoons sugar evenly over each custard. Working with 1 custard at a time, hold blowtorch** so that flame is 2 inches above surface. Direct flame so that sugar melts and browns, about 2 minutes.
• Refrigerate until custards are firm again but topping is still brittle, at least 2 hours but no longer than 4 hours so that topping doesn't soften. Garnish crème brûlées with fruit.
• *Four-inch-diameter fluted clear glass flan dishes are available at cookware stores and many hardware stores. They are about 2/3 inch deep and hold about 1/2 cup liquid.
• **Available at some cookware stores.

LEMON GINGER CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Heat the cream in a saucepan with the ginger. Bring it just below boiling. Don't let it boil. Stir it occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile cream together the egg yolks and 5 tbsp sugar in a mixing bowl.
• Remove saucepan from heat and add lemon. Strain into a bowl.
• SLOWLY pour the cream into the egg, whisking gently with a fork to mix evenly. Be careful not to incorporate any air into the mixture or you'll have bubbles in your custard. And be careful not to pour too quickly or you'll cook the egg.
• Divide the mixture evenly between 4 ramekins and place in a lasagna pan (something with high sides). Pour water into the pan (but don't get any into your ramekins) until it comes about halfway up your ramekins.
• Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes (more or less depending on the shape of your ramekins - short wide ones cook faster than taller narrower ones). They're done cooking when they are set, but the center is jiggly.
• Remove from the water bath and cool, uncovered, on the counter until they reach room temperature. Then cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 2 days (they need to chill for at least 4 hours).
• When ready to eat, remove from the fridge, take off the plastic wrap, and top with a thin layer of white and brown sugar. Use a torch to caramelize the sugar, or you can place them under the broiler (but you have to watch them constantly to make sure they don't burn).

LEMON CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 300°F.
• Line a shallow baking pan with a kitchen towel.
• Have a pot of boiling water ready.
• In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the lemon juice to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the juice is reduced to about 1 tablespoon, 3 to 5 minutes.
• In another saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, lemon zest and the 1/2 cup sugar.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until steam rises, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes.
• In a bowl, whisk together the vanilla and egg yolks until smooth and combined.
• Slowly add the cream mixture, whisking constantly, then stir in the reduced lemon juice.
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl and divide among six 3 1/2 ounce ramekins.
• Place the ramekins in the prepared baking pan and add boiling water to fill the pan halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
• Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake until the custards are just set, about 40 minutes.
• Remove the ramekins from the pan and transfer to a wire rack.
• Cool the custards to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours, then refrigerate for 3 hours.
• Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar evenly over the surface of each custard.
• Using a kitchen torch according to the manufacturer's instructions, move the flame continuously in small circles over the surface until the sugar melts and lightly browns.
• Serve immediately.

RHUBARB & GINGER CRèME BRûLéE

Steps:

• Put the rhubarb in a pan with the sugar and chopped ginger. Cook over a low heat for 10 mins or until the rhubarb has softened and begun to break down. Mix a little of the rhubarb juice with the cornflour in a small bowl, then pour into the pan and stir until thickened. Pour into the base of a round roughly 20cm dish. Leave to cool completely.
• For the custard, pour the double cream, sugar and vanilla pod (as well as the scraped-out seeds) into a pan and bring to a simmer. Scoop out the pod and discard. Whisk the eggs in a bowl and gradually pour over the simmering cream, whisking continuously. Pour the mixture back into the pan. Cook over a low heat, continuously stirring, for around 10 mins until it reaches 86C on a cooking thermometer, or is thickened. Pour over the cooled rhubarb, smooth to an even layer and chill overnight.
• Sprinkle the demerara sugar over the top and caramelise using a blowtorch until deep golden brown. Serve.

CARDAMOM CRèME BRûLéE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 325°.
• 2. In a large heat-proof mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar.
• 3. Place the cream in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Warm just until little bubbles form around the edge. Remove from the heat and, whisking constantly, pour into the egg and sugar mixture. Add the cardamom and continue whisking until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is well combined.
• 4. Pour the mixture through a very fine sieve into 6 crème brûlée dishes, filling them only half full. Place the dishes into a shallow baking dish large enough to hold them withough crowding. Place the dish on the middle rack of oven. Working quickly to preserve the heat, finish filling the dishes with the custard mixture, making sure that it comes right to the top of each dish. Then carefully fill the baking dish with very hot tap water so it comes halfway up the sides of the filled dishes. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the custard is set in the center.
• 5. Remove the custards to a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until ready to use.
• 6. When ready to serve, preheat the broiler.
• 7. Pass the brown sugar through a fine sieve to eliminate all lumps. Generously sprinkle the top of each chilled custard with an equal portion of the brown sugar, taking care to cover all of the custard, so that it gives an even finish. Place the chilled crème brûlée dishes under the preheated broiler and broil for about 2 minutes, or until the tops are crackling brown. Remove from the broiler and serve immediately.
• Wine Suggestion:
• Royal Tokaji Red
• This quite sweet but well-balanced Tokaji is a stunning companion to this lightly spiced and very rich dessert.