Logans Award Winning Creme Brulee Food

LOGAN'S AWARD-WINNING CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• split and scrape vanilla beans.
• dump cream, milk, sugar, salt, vanilla beans, and insides into a medium saucepan.
• cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, for 10-15 minutes.
• set aside to cool.
• beat yolks until light.
• temper cream into egg yolks till approximately half of the cream is in the yolks.
• mix together.
• ladle into 4-6 oz ramekins.
• Place in deep baking dish with water to level of custard.
• bake at 300 for 1 hour or until set.
• cool and brulee.

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.

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).

ULTIMATE CRèME BRûLéE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Sit four 175ml ramekins in a deep roasting tin at least 7.5cm deep (or a large deep cake tin), one that will enable a baking tray to sit well above the ramekins when laid across the top of the tin.
• Pour the large and small cartons of double cream into a medium pan with the milk.
• Lay the vanilla pod on a board and slice lengthways through the middle with a sharp knife to split it in two. Use the tip of the knife to scrape out all the tiny seeds into the cream mixture. Drop the vanilla pod in as well, and set aside.
• Put the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk for 1 min with an electric hand whisk until paler in colour and a bit fluffy.
• Put the pan with the cream on a medium heat and bring almost to the boil. As soon as you see bubbles appear round the edge, take the pan off the heat.
• Pour the hot cream into the beaten egg yolks, stirring with a wire whisk as you do so, and scraping out the seeds from the pan.
• Set a fine sieve over a large wide jug or bowl and pour the hot mixture through to strain it, encouraging any stray vanilla seeds through at the end.
• Using a big spoon, scoop off all the pale foam that is sitting on the top of the liquid (this will be several spoonfuls) and discard. Give the mixture a stir.
• Pour in enough hot water (from the tap) into the roasting tin to come about 1.5cm up the sides of the ramekins. Pour the hot cream into the ramekins so you fill them up right to the top - it's easier to spoon in the last little bit.
• Put them in the oven and lay a baking sheet over the top of the tin so it sits well above the ramekins and completely covers them, but not the whole tin, leaving a small gap at one side to allow air to circulate.
• Bake for 30-35 mins until the mixture is softly set. To check, gently sway the roasting tin and if the crème brûlées are ready, they will wobble a bit like a jelly in the middle. Don't let them get too firm.
• Lift the ramekins out of the roasting tin with oven gloves and set them on a wire rack to cool for a couple of minutes only, then put in the fridge to cool completely. This can be done overnight without affecting the texture.
• When ready to serve, wipe round the top edge of the dishes, sprinkle 1½ tsp of caster sugar over each ramekin and spread it out with the back of a spoon to completely cover.
• Spray with a little water using a fine spray (the sort you buy in a craft shop) to just dampen the sugar - then use a blow torch to caramelise it. Hold the flame just above the sugar and keep moving it round and round until caramelised. Serve when the brûlée is firm, or within an hour or two.

MANGO CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees farenheit.
• Whisk together egg yolks, granulated sugar, and salt in a bowl until combined well.
• Place this custard mixture into a 2qt saucepan.
• Using the tip of a knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into cream, then add pod.
• Heat over moderate heat until hot but not boiling.
• Discard pod and add cream to egg mixture in a slow stream, whisking until combined.
• Spoon 1/4 c mango into each ramekin.
• Pour custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, then ladle over mango.
• Arrange ramekins in a roasting pan and bake in a hot water bath in middle of the oven until custards are just set, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Transfer custards with tongs to a rack to cool, then chill, uncovered, at least 4 hours.
• Preheat broiler.
• Sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly over custards and broil in a shallow baking pan (5 to 7 inches from the heat) until sugar is caramelized, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• *Note* A blowtorch can be used to caramelize the sugar topping instead of the broiler.

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.

VANILLA CRèME BRûLéE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a saucepan, combine cream, vanilla bean and salt and cook over low heat just until hot. Let sit for a few minutes, then discard vanilla bean. (If using vanilla extract, add it now.)
• In a bowl, beat yolks and sugar together until light. Stir about a quarter of the cream into this mixture, then pour sugar-egg mixture into cream and stir. Pour into four 6-ounce ramekins and place ramekins in a baking dish; fill dish with boiling water halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until centers are barely set. Cool completely. Refrigerate for several hours and up to a couple of days.
• When ready to serve, top each custard with about a teaspoon of sugar in a thin layer. Place ramekins in a broiler 2 to 3 inches from heat source. Turn on broiler. Cook until sugar melts and browns or even blackens a bit, about 5 minutes. Serve within two hours.

COFFEE-CARAMEL CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Bring 1 cup cream and coffee beans to a simmer in a heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat; cover and let steep at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Stir 2/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, brushing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush. Boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, swirling pan occasionally, about 11 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add remaining 1 cup whipping cream (mixture will bubble up). Stir over low heat until caramel is smooth. Stir in half and half. Strain coffee-infused cream into caramel cream; discard coffee beans in strainer.
• Whisk yolks, salt, and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in cream mixture. Strain custard into large measuring cup.
• Arrange 8 (2/3 - 3/4 cup) ramekins or custard cups in roasting pan. Divide custard among ramekins. Add enough warm water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cups.
• Bake custards until just set in center, 65-70 minutes. Transfer custards from water bath directly to refrigerator. Chill uncovered until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.
• Sprinkle top of each custard with 1 teaspoons raw sugar. Using kitchen torch, melt sugar on each custard until deep amber. (Alternate method - preheat broiler. Arrange custard cups on small rimmed baking sheet; broil until sugar topping melts and browns, about 2 minutes.) Refrigerate custards until sugar topping hardens, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour (do not chill longer than 1 hour or topping will start to soften). Serve custards cold.

CREMA CATALANA

Steps:

• In a pot, beat together the egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar until thoroughly blended and the mixture turns frothy.
• Add the cinnamon stick and grated lemon rind.
• Mix the cornstarch with 2 tbsp of the cold milk, when well mixed return it to the remaining 2 cups of milk.
• Pour in the milk.
• Slowly heat the mixture, stirring constantly, just until thickened.
• Remove pot from heat immediately.
• Tip: As soon as the mixture thickens and you feel resistance while stirring, remove the pot from the heat or the mixture may curdle or separate! The texture of the finished crema will be grainy instead of smooth and creamy, this is as it should be.
• Remove the cinnamon stick and ladle the milk mixture into 4 ramekins (individual serving size).
• Allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.
• Before serving, preheat the broiler.
• Remove ramekins with the crema catalana from refrigerator and sprinkle the rest of the sugar over each ramekin.
• When broiler is hot, place the ramekins under the broiler on the top shelf and allow the sugar to caramelize, turning gold and brown.
• This may take 10 minutes or so, depending on your broiler. Remove and serve immediately.
• If you'd like, you can serve the crema catalana chilled, but we think it has more flavor when served warm from the broiler.

FAVORITE CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• In a small saucepan, combine cream, vanilla bean and seeds, and 3/4 cup granulated sugar; place over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbles start to form around the edges of the pan. Do not boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Whisk egg yolks in a large bowl; while whisking constantly, slowly add hot cream mixture to egg yolks. Continue whisking until smooth. Strain custard mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a large liquid measuring cup; discard solids.
• Place six shallow 7-ounce ramekins in a roasting pan; transfer roasting pan to oven. Fill each ramekin to the top with custard mixture. Add enough hot water to baking pan so that it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until custard is set and trembles slightly when shaken, about 40 minutes.
• Remove ramekins from water bath and transfer to a wire rack; let cool for 30 minutes. Transfer ramekins to refrigerator and let chill for at least 4 hours and up to 3 days.
• To serve, sprinkle each ramekin of custard with 1 tablespoon remaining granulated sugar. Using a kitchen torch held 4 to 5 inches from the surface, melt sugar using a slow and even motion, until sugar is caramelized. Serve immediately.