crème brûlée & chocolate crème brûlée

I made crème brûlée! Wheeeee~~~so happie! Hahha ... actually the milestone here is finally using a kitchen blowtorch for the very first time! :) ... I've been hunting around for a reasonably priced (prices ranging approximately from AUD$20-AUD$80) blowtorch for a while & finally bought one so I could make this custard-y french dessert.

The alternative names for crème brûlée (pronounced "krem bru-lei") are burnt cream, crema catalana or Trinity cream.  This dessert is normally a rich vanilla-flavoured custard base topped with a layer of thin crunchy caramel crust created using a blowtorch.  I have also made the chocolate version of this dessert.

crème brûlée
(recipe adapted from Donna Hay's A Cook's Guide)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (500 ml) thickened cream
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup (55 gm) caster sugar
• 2 tbsp caster sugar, extra

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160C (325F).  Place the cream and vanilla in a small saucepan over low heat and cook gently until the mixture just comes to the boil.  Remove from heat.
2. Place egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until thick and pale.
3. Pour the warm cream mixture over the eggs and whisk to combine.
4. Return mixture to the saucepan and stir over low heat for 6-8 minutes or until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
5. Pour custard into 4 x 3/4 cup-capacity (180 ml) ovenproof ramekins and place in a deep baking dish.  Pour in enough water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
6. Bake for 25 minutes or until just set.
7. Remove brûlées from the baking dish and refrigerate for 3 hours or until set.
8. Sprinkle with extra sugar just before serving and caramelise with a small kitchen blow torch until a golden crust forms.

chocolate crème brûlée

Using the basic recipe, make following changes:

• 1 cup (250 ml) thickened cream
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk
• 85 gm dark chocolate, melted

Pour the custard mixture you have made at step 4 into the melted dark chocolate and mix to combine before continuing with step 5.