Prune And Brandy Creme Brulee Food

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.

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.

COFFEE-BRANDY CRèME BRûLéE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange six 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups in 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Combine cream and 1/4 cup sugar in heavy medium saucepan; bring almost to simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; add coffee and whisk to dissolve. Whisk egg yolks in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in warm cream mixture, then brandy and vanilla. Strain custard into 4-cup measuring cup; pour into ramekins, dividing equally. Pour enough hot water into pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins.
• Bake custards until center moves only slightly when pan is gently shaken, about 35 minutes. Remove custards from pan. Chill until cold, at least 3 hours, then cover and keep chilled overnight.
• Preheat broiler. Arrange custards on baking sheet. Press 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar through strainer onto each custard, forming even layer. Broil 6 inches from heat source until sugar melts, bubbles and caramelizes, watching carefully and rotating sheet for even browning, about 4 minutes. Refrigerate custards until sugar topping hardens, at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours before serving.

BRANDY CRèME BRûLéE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°F. Place eight 6-ounce ramekin or crème brûlée dishes in a larger baking pan. Heat a kettle of water.
• Pour the cream into a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan and whisk in 1/2 cup of sugar and the vanilla bean, with the scrapings. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for about 10 minutes. Whisk 1/4 cup of sugar into the egg yolks until well mixed. Gently whisk the cream into the yolks, add the Herbsaint and brandy, then strain through a fine sieve.
• I actually prefer to fill the ramekins and water bath when the pan is already in the oven, so I don't spill either when I move them. Place the pan with the ramekins on the middle rack of the oven with the door open, and use a ladle to fill the ramekins with the custard. Carefully pour hot water into the pan about halfway up the sides of the ramekins, cover the pan with foil, then gently slide the oven rack into the oven. Bake the custards for about 40 minutes, rotating once. It is a good idea to take a peek after about 25 minutes and make sure they are not cooking too fast (in which case they would look overly dry and shriveled). This is especially good to do if you are using the shallow, wide variety of crème brûlée dishes. Custard is done when it's just barely set and jiggles when you move the ramekin. Remove them from the oven, uncover, let cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate. The custards should be chilled for about 2 hours before caramelizing with the sugar.
• Sprinkle the tops of the custards with a thin layer of sugar and brown under a broiler or with a butane torch held 4-6 inches from the surface. When the sugar starts to bubble and brown, sprinkle lightly with another layer of sugar and brown the second layer. You'll use about 1/2 cup of sugar in all. For the most crackly top, serve within 10 minutes of caramelizing.

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).

COFFEE-BRANDY CREAM BRULEE

Steps:

• Set oven to 350 degrees F.
• Arrange 6 (about 3/4-cup size) ramekins or use custard cups in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
• In a medium saucepan combine cream and 1/4 cup sugar; bring almost to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves; remove from heat and add in the coffee granules, whisk to dissolve the granules.
• In a medium bowl whisk together egg yolks; gradually whisk in the warm cream mixture, then the brandy and vanilla.
• Strain the custard into a 4-cup measuring cup (use a larger measuring cup if you are doubling the recipe) then divide/pour the mixture evenly between the ramekins or custard cups.
• Pour enhough HOT water into the 13x9 pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
• Bake the custards until center moves only slighty when the pan is shaken gently (about 35 minutes).
• Remove the ramekins from the pan; cool slightly and then place in refrigerator (uncovered) for 3 hours.
• Remove from fridge, cover with plastic wrap, and continue to chill overnight.
• The following day: Preheat the broiler.
• Arrange the ramekins on a small sheet.
• Shake about 2-3 teaspoons brown sugar through a small strainer onto the top of each custard forming a layer.
• Broil about 6 inches from heat until the sugar melts, bubbles and carmalizes (watch closely and rotate the sheet for even browning (about 3-4 minutes).
• Refrigerate custards until sugar topping gets hard, at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours before serving.

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.

BRANDY CREME BRULEE BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350. In a small bowl, mix flour, 1/2 c sugar and butter with a spoon. Press on bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch square pan; bake 20 minutes.
• Reduce oven temp to 300. IN small bowl, beat egg yolks and 1/4 c sugar with spoon until thick. Gradually stir in whipping cream and brandy. Pour over baked layer.
• Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until custard is set and knife inserted come out clean. Cool completely; about 30 minutes.
• Cut into 6 rows by 6 rows.