Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [415]
Before serving, sprinkle 2 teaspoons sugar over each chilled custard. Use a kitchen blowtorch to melt and brown the sugar, turning it into a liquid crust that will harden as it cools. Alternatively, preheat the broiler, set the ramekins on a baking sheet, and broil 4 inches from the heat until the sugar on the top is bubbling and brown. In either case, set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes to harden the crust on top and cool the heated dishes; or refrigerate for up to 2 hours, uncovered.
Variations: You can flavor the crème brûlée with just about any alcohol or liqueur, adding 2 tablespoons to the egg yolks before you beat them. However, be forewarned: because the fat content is rather high, the taste will be quite pronounced.
For a more classic look, omit the vanilla extract and stir in the seeds stripped from 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, in its stead.
Baked Chocolate Cream
This decadent dessert is a chocolate pudding with the texture of crème brûlée. Underbake the custards a tad so that they’ll be soft and luscious. You can also use this pudding as a filling between the layers of a cake (but not as the frosting on top—see the variations). Makes 6 servings
1½ cups heavy cream
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1½ tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Bring a teakettle of water to a boil over high heat.
Place the cream and chocolate in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the chocolate has thoroughly melted, the mixture is smooth, and a few puffs of steam rise from the surface, about 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until creamy, smooth, and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
Whisk the hot chocolate mixture in a slow, steady stream into the egg yolk mixture until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla.
Ladle into six ½-or ¾-cup heat-safe ramekins or custard cups. Place these in a 13 × 9-inch baking pan or roasting pan.
Take the teakettle off the heat so the water falls off the boil. Pull out the oven rack, set the baking pan or roasting pan with the cups on it, and slowly fill the pan from one corner with the near-boiling water until the water comes about halfway up the outsides of the cups or ramekins.
Slide the rack back into the oven and bake until the custard is thickened but still movable when jiggled, about 20 minutes.
Remove the ramekins or cups from the water bath and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or for up to 3 days, covering with plastic wrap when chilled.
Baked Chocolate Espresso Cream: Whisk 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder into the egg yolks with the sugar.
Baked Mexican Chocolate Cream: Whisk 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon almond extract into the egg yolks with the sugar. Fold in ¼ cup toasted sliced almonds with the vanilla.
Baked Chocolate Cream Cake Filling: Make the chocolate cream as directed, chill, then scrape it out for a filling between two cake layers, such as the Buttery Vanilla Layer Cake or the Banana Layer Cake. Or use it as the filling in a Vanilla Sponge Roll Cake.
Crème Caramel
Here, the custard sits over caramelized sugar, which slowly liquefies into a sauce as it bakes and cools. The custard itself is not as quite as rich as that for Crème Brûlée, but it is silkier because of a few egg whites and milk instead of cream. Makes 6 servings
1¼ cups sugar
2 tablespoons water
3 large eggs plus 6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups whole or low-fat milk (do not use fat-free)
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring a teakettle of water to a boil over high heat.
Meanwhile, heat ½ cup sugar and