My sister Tara's birthday was this past weekend, so I tried my hand at a few recipes for her birthday dinner. One of which was the Classic Creme Brulee recipe off of Williams-Sonoma's website. (Click HERE).
I've never made Creme Brulee before but knew (after taste testing it MANY times) that there are fabulous Creme Brulees or eggy Creme Brulees... and the latter is so so so gross. Why are some Creme Brulees delicious and some so gross?
After making it myself, I have found the answer!
It's all in the method of caramelizing the sugar.
I made mine the night before our dinner but hadn't caramelized the sugar yet. I had Isaac try one just to see how I did; They were amazing! No egg taste at all! The next day, it was time to caramelize, and I have a hand torch that my lovely cousin Heidi gave me but we forgot to get the gas/propane for it... so I broiled them.
Do not do this.
It cooks the eggs... and this is bad. Hand torching is the answer to yummy creme brulees. Yep.
Here is the recipe I used. Definitely a good one!
Classic Creme Brulee
Ingredients:
- 8 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup for the brulee topping
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300ºF.
In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and the 1/3 cup sugar, whisk together until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Add cream and vanilla, and continue to whisk until well blended, strain into a large bowl, skimming off any foam or bubbles.
Divide mixture among 6 ramekins or custard cups. Place in a water bath, and bake until set around edges, but still loose in the center, about 40-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave in the water bath until cooled. Remove cups from water bath and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.
When ready to serve, sprinkle about 2 tsp. sugar over each custard. For best results, use a small hand torch to melt the sugar. If you do not have a torch, place ramekins under the broiler until sugar melts. Re-chill custards a few minutes before serving.
Serves 6.
In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and the 1/3 cup sugar, whisk together until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Add cream and vanilla, and continue to whisk until well blended, strain into a large bowl, skimming off any foam or bubbles.
Divide mixture among 6 ramekins or custard cups. Place in a water bath, and bake until set around edges, but still loose in the center, about 40-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave in the water bath until cooled. Remove cups from water bath and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.
When ready to serve, sprinkle about 2 tsp. sugar over each custard. For best results, use a small hand torch to melt the sugar. If you do not have a torch, place ramekins under the broiler until sugar melts. Re-chill custards a few minutes before serving.
Serves 6.
don't be too hard on yourself! i really like sugar so it was yummy. and the whole thing was delish. I even finished off on the sneak heidi's as she left the table. (fatty)
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