Last week I showed you the micro torch I have in my kitchen and linked a recipe for Creme Brulee. Well, that recipe looked so simple and good I just had to try it right away! I decided to make it for dessert one night when my mother came over for dinner and she was a riot watching me caramelize the sugar on top with the torch. My daughter was really worried since Granny kept saying to get the flame bigger! Apparently my father used to use his giant welding torch on all those creme brulees we had in my childhood...;)
I only used skim milk with the whipping cream and although the creme brulees were fantastic, they could have been even richer, with more body, had I used homogenized milk. The flavour was amazing and we all oohed and ahhed. The hard, crunchy layer on top is so good - especially with a bite of the creamy custard underneath.
That being said, as simple as the recipe is, I did have some trouble. The sugar/water mix took a lot longer to brown than suggested in the recipe and, as I suspected would happen, as soon as I removed it from the heat and added the milk, the caramel sputtered and seized. As I whisked away, most of the hardened caramel dissolved and became incorporated but there was still quite a bit stuck on the bottom of the pan once I added the mixture into the egg yolks. The end result was fine but it just wasn't as easy as it appears.
After making creme brulee you also have the 'problem' of all the extra egg whites! I just froze them for now but I know I will be making a pavlova with them soon!
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