\n| Equipment:<\/td>\n | Cutting board and small sharp knife, measuring cups and spoons, whisk, pestle or coffee grinder, 1 medium bowl, 1 large mixing bowl, 1 small bowl, medium saucepan and top, strainer, 6 ramekins (7-8 oz), 1 large roasting pan, 1 kitchen torch<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Difficulty:<\/td>\n | Moderate<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nIngredients:<\/h2>\n\n- 1 quart heavy cream<\/li>\n
- 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped; or 1 teaspoon. vanilla extract (see notes)<\/li>\n
- 1 Tbs fresh ginger, chopped<\/li>\n
- \u00bd cup granulated sugar, finely ground<\/li>\n
- 6 large egg yolks<\/li>\n
- 2-3 quarts water, hot<\/li>\n
- \u00bd cup light brown sugar<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Procedure:<\/h2>\n\n- Measure and add cream to medium bowl.<\/li>\n
- On cutting board, with sharp knife, cut vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds from bean. Add bean and seeds to medium bowl<\/li>\n
- Chop fresh ginger, add to medium bowl and set aside.<\/li>\n
- In large mixing bowl, add sugar. Grind sugar with pestle or other utensil till finely ground. Set aside.<\/li>\n
- Separate egg yolks and set aside in small bowl. Save egg whites for other uses.<\/li>\n
- In medium saucepan, over medium high heat, add cream, vanilla bean\/ginger mixture. Bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Strain mixture into medium bowl, removing vanilla bean, seeds and ginger.<\/li>\n
- Heat water in medium saucepan or microwave in container.<\/li>\n
- Lightly whisk egg yolk bowl.<\/li>\n
- In large mixing bowl with sugar, add egg yolks and whisk together till well blended. The color should just start to lighten. Add the cream mixture, a little at a time, whisking continually. Make sure sugar is fully dissolved.<\/li>\n
- Pour the liquid into 6 ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large roasting pan.<\/li>\n
- Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come \u00bd – \u2154 up the sides of the ramekins.<\/li>\n
- Preheat the oven to 325 \u00b0F.<\/li>\n
- In pre-heated oven, on middle rack, bake just until the Cr\u00e8me Br\u00fbl\u00e9e is set, but still “wiggles” in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes.<\/li>\n
- Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.<\/li>\n
- Remove the Cr\u00e8me Br\u00fbl\u00e9e from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to “glazing” Cr\u00e8me Br\u00fbl\u00e9e. Evenly distribute and sprinkle brown sugar on top of the 6 dishes.<\/li>\n
- Using a torch, flame the sugar till crispy, glazed top forms.<\/li>\n
- Allow the Cr\u00e8me Br\u00fbl\u00e9e to sit for 5 minutes before serving.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Advanced Preparation:<\/h2>\n\n- Steps 1 – 5 can be done day of event, sealed and refrigerated till ready to mix together and bake.<\/li>\n
- Steps 6 – 14 can be done in advance; seal ramekins with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days before serving.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Tips, Notes, and Variations:<\/h2>\n\n- If you don’t have vanilla bean, you can use vanilla extract. However, don’t add to cream during cooking. Instead, add it to cream mixture after it has cooled (after Step 5).<\/li>\n
- The granulated sugar should be ground fine to help dissolve fully when whisking into egg and cream mixture. To save a little epoundow grease, instead using a pestle, use a coffee bean grinder.<\/li>\n
- Granulated sugar can be used instead of brown sugar for topping.<\/li>\n
- For a special presentation effect, you can flamb\u00e9e the dish at the table. After adding brown sugar, instead of flaming with torch, drizzle a very thin layer of rum or brandy on top (1-2 teaspoon. per ramekin). Light at table and allow to flame out naturally. Depending on size and shape of ramekin, this may take a little experimenting to get just the right effect and result.<\/li>\n
- If you don’t have a torch or don’t want to flamb\u00e9e, you can pre-heat oven to broil, place ramekins on on top rack, as close to heating elements as possible, and broil for 1 – 1\u00bd minutes or until browned, not burned. Watch closely, remove and chill.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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