May 04

Traditional Creme Brulee

This recipe is my first attempt from Matthew Evans’ enormous tome “The Real Food Companion”.  Thanks Dad for the engagement gift!

Matthew Evans was a food critic from Sydney who gave it all up and moved to Tasmania to start a hobby farm and learn more about the origins of his food.  He had a short tv-series on SBS that focused on the challenges of trying to live your ideals.  The Real Food Companion is the result of his first year of farming – it looks at the various food industries in Australia and urges people to learn where their food comes from and to try and source the best and freshest produce available.  In short, it’s right up my alley!

Aside from wanting to try out my new cookbook, this recipe gave me an excuse to try out another engagement present – our culinary blow torch!

cremebrulee
Creme Brulee
Posted May 2, 2010 by Leah in Posted In:
You need to prepare these at least the morning before you intend to serve them, as they require a fair bit of time in the fridge to set. You can play about with what you infuse the custard with, this is really just a starting point.

Cuisines:
Details
  • Prep Time:
    45 min
  • Ready Time:
    45 min

Ingredients

  • 600 grams Thick cream
  • 3cm strip lemon peel
  • 1 Vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 6 Egg yolks
  • 2 tbsps Caster sugar
  • Extra caster sugar for burning

Directions

  1. Put the cream and lemon peel in a saucepan over high heat.
  2. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the pan and add the bean as well.
  3. Bring to a simmer.
  4. Remove pan from heat, whisk and set aside for 15 minutes.  This allows the flavours to infuse.
  5. Strain the cream through a fine sieve, discarding the peel and bean.
  6. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl until pale.
  7. Whisk in the cream, then pour into a clean saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until the cream thickens.  The mixture should coat the back of a spoon.
  8. Don't overcook the custard or it will scramble.
  9. Pour into 6-8 ramekins, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate before serving (overnight if possible).
  10. Just before serving, sprinkle an even layer of caster sugar over the top of each custard.
  11. Caramelize the top using a blowtorch (you can also cook until a preheated grill but this doesn't produce as consistent a result).
  12. The top of each brulee should be dark, but not black.
  13. Allow to cool slightly before serving (melted sugar is exceedingly hot!).
  14. Serve to you guests and watch them crack away!
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