Savory Autumn Creme Brulee Provencal Recipes

THE BEST CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F. Line a large heavy roasting pan (a turkey roasting pan works great) with a clean kitchen towel and place 4 six-ounce ramekins on top of the towel spaced a few inches apart.
• Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Using the back of a paring knife, scrape the vanilla seeds from both halves of the pod. Add the seeds and pod to the cream. Whisk in the salt and 3 tablespoons of the sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.
• Vigorously whisk the yolks and 3 more tablespoons of the sugar in a large bowl until pale yellow and very thick and creamy, about 2 minutes. Alternatively, you can use an electric mixer on high speed and beat until pale yellow and very thick and creamy, about 1 minute.
• Whisking the yolks constantly, add a couple of teaspoons at a time from 1 cup of the hot cream, then increase to a steady stream until the cream is fully incorporated. (Don't pour too much hot cream at once or you'll end up with scrambled eggs.) The yolks are now tempered. Whisk the tempered yolks back into the remaining hot cream until combined. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or medium pitcher for easier pouring; discard the vanilla pods.
• Skim the foam off the top of the custard by placing a clean paper towel on top and lightly pressing down so it touches the surface and absorbs some of the liquid. This will make for a completely smooth and silky custard. Fill the ramekins with the custard, about 3/4 cup per ramekin.
• Carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan halfway up the sides of the ramekins without getting any water in the custard. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake until the custard is set around the edges but still has a slight jiggle in the center, 35 to 45 minutes. Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and transfer the ramekins to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Then refrigerate until very cold, about 3 hours.
• Just before serving, evenly spread 1 tablespoon of the sugar over the top of a custard. Hold a kitchen torch 2 inches above the surface. Starting in the center of the ramekin, move the flame in a circular motion and work your way out to the edges to caramelize the sugar. Repeat with the remaining sugar and custards.
• Alternatively, arrange a rack in the top position of the oven and heat the broiler on high. Place the ramekins on a rack set inside a baking sheet and broil until deep golden brown, 15 to 60 seconds, checking every 10 seconds.
• Freeze the custards for 5 minutes before serving (see Cook's Note).

SAVORY AUTUMN CREME BRULEE PROVENCAL

Steps:

• Combine the sugar, vanilla and egg yolks, mixing well. Set aside.
• Place the cream and the herbes in a large saucepan and heat slowly just to the boiling point. Strain the herbes with a fine sieve.
• Pour the cream into the eggs and sugar mixture in a slow and steady stream, whisking constantly.
• Pour 1/2 cup of the mixture into each ramekin.
• Ideally, allow to sit overnight before baking.
• Preheat the oven to 375 and prepare a water bath in a pan so that the water comes halfway up the (outer) sides of the ramekins.
• Bake until the custard is set, about 40 minutes. It's OK if the centers "roll" a bit, as long as the sides are set: the custards will set up as they cool.
• Allow to cool and refrigerate at least two hours. The longer the better. Putting a round of plastic wrap on the custards will prevent a film from forming.
• At least an hour before serving, sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar onto each custard, thinly and evenly.
• Melt the sugar with a flame until golden brown, either with a kitchen torch or under the broiler, about an inch from the flame for 30 seconds.
• Cool to room temperature before serving.
• Tip:.
• If you don't have a kitchen torch and will be browning the sugar under the broiler, try to get the custard as close as possible to the top of the ramekins. The sugar will brown better and more evenly, and you'll have a better presentation.

CLASSIC CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the cream, egg yolks and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture reaches 160° or is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Stir in vanilla. , Transfer to eight 6-oz. ramekins or custard cups. Place cups in a baking pan; add 1 in. of boiling water to pan. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 25-30 minutes or until centers are just set (mixture will jiggle). Remove ramekins from water bath; cool for 10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours., One hour before serving, place custards on a baking sheet. Sprinkle each with 1-2 teaspoons brown sugar. Broil 8 in. from the heat for 4-7 minutes or until sugar is caramelized. Refrigerate leftovers.