Caramel Crème Brûlée Recipes

CARAMEL CRèME BRûLéE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 325°F. Place four (4) ramekins in a baking tray with high sides and set aside for later.
• Pre-heat a stainless steel saucepan (preferably with a pour spout) on low heat until warmed. Add the water and sugar to make the caramel. Cook on lowest heat setting about 15 minutes, swirling the mixture every 1-2 minutes, until the caramel develops an amber color. Be careful not to burn the caramel.
• Carefully but quickly add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt to the pot and scrape the caramel off the bottom. The caramel will immediately start to harden when you pour the colder ingredients on top. Continue to cook on lowest heat setting about 5 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the caramel from settling and burning on the bottom of the pot, until the caramel is fully dissolved into the cream mixture and it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside for later.
• In a large bowl or measuring cup (preferably with a pour spout), thoroughly combine the egg yolks and sugar for the crème brûlée bake. Once combined, immediately begin tempering the egg with the cream mixture by slowly adding the cream to the egg (about 1/4 cup at a time), mixing constantly and thoroughly each time before adding more cream, until fully combined. Take your time with this step. You can never combine too slowly, but you can combine too quickly, and if you do combine too quickly, you'll end up with scrambled eggs in your crème brûlée!
• Using a clean pot, bring a few cups of water to just boiling and immediately remove from heat and set aside for later.
• Gently divide the crème brûlée bake between the four (4) ramekins. If you still have a significant amount of excess bubbles sitting on top of the crème brûlée bake, you can gently skim the top with a spoon to remove the majority before pouring into the ramekins, though this is purely for looks only. Carefully pour the hot (not boiling) water into the baking tray to create a water bath that raises about halfway up the ramekins.
• Bake at 325°F for about 38-40 minutes. When properly baked, your crème brûlée will have a uniform "bounce" from center to edge when gently touched in the center. If the center still seems under-cooked, let it bake another minute or two before removing to cool.
• Carefully remove the baking tray from the oven and set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes. Once the ramekins are cool enough to handle, remove from the water bath and let cool on a cookie rack for another 20-25 minutes. Then cover with saran wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving.
• When ready to serve, evenly sprinkle a thin layer of extra sugar on top and use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar until it create a hardened light brown surface on top. Enjoy!

CARAMEL CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a large saucepan, heat whipping cream and cream until bubbles form around sides of pan; remove from heat. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, extract and salt until blended but not foamy. Slowly stir in hot cream mixture., Place an ungreased broiler-safe 13x9-in. baking dish in a baking pan large enough to hold it without touching the sides. Pour egg mixture into dish. Place pan on oven rack; add very hot water to pan to within 1 in. of top of dish. Bake until center is just set and top appears dull, 40-50 minutes. Immediately remove dish from water bath to a wire rack; cool 1 hour. Refrigerate until cold., Mix brown sugar and remaining sugar. To caramelize topping with a kitchen torch, sprinkle custard evenly with sugar mixture. Hold torch flame about 2 in. above custard surface and rotate it slowly until sugar is evenly caramelized. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 1 hour., To caramelize topping in a broiler, let custard stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Preheat broiler. Sprinkle custard evenly with sugar mixture. Broil 3-4 in. from heat until sugar is caramelized, 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 1 hour.

COFFEE-CARAMEL CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Bring 1 cup cream and coffee beans to a simmer in a heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat; cover and let steep at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Stir 2/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, brushing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush. Boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, swirling pan occasionally, about 11 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add remaining 1 cup whipping cream (mixture will bubble up). Stir over low heat until caramel is smooth. Stir in half and half. Strain coffee-infused cream into caramel cream; discard coffee beans in strainer.
• Whisk yolks, salt, and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in cream mixture. Strain custard into large measuring cup.
• Arrange 8 (2/3 - 3/4 cup) ramekins or custard cups in roasting pan. Divide custard among ramekins. Add enough warm water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cups.
• Bake custards until just set in center, 65-70 minutes. Transfer custards from water bath directly to refrigerator. Chill uncovered until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.
• Sprinkle top of each custard with 1 teaspoons raw sugar. Using kitchen torch, melt sugar on each custard until deep amber. (Alternate method - preheat broiler. Arrange custard cups on small rimmed baking sheet; broil until sugar topping melts and browns, about 2 minutes.) Refrigerate custards until sugar topping hardens, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour (do not chill longer than 1 hour or topping will start to soften). Serve custards cold.

SALTED CARAMEL CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• In a saucepan, melt the sugar but do not let it burn. It should turn a deep brown. You will need to stir constantly, and may need to remove the pan from the heat occasionally to keep it from burning.
• Once the sugar is melted, add the cream and salt and continue heating on low until all the sugar is dissolved into the cream. Make sure the cream doesn't boil.
• Put the egg yolks in a mixing bowl and SLOWLY pour in the cream, mixing with a fork. Try not to whip any air into the mixture. Also, be sure to pour slowly or you will end up cooking the egg in the hot cream.
• Pour evenly into 3 ramekins and place in a water bath (use a lasagna pan filled partway with water). You want the water bath to come about halfway up the ramekins.
• Bake at 350 for anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. The time will depend on the shape of the ramekins (wide ramekins cook more quickly than narrow ones). Custard is done when it is set but still jiggly in the center. Check after 30 minutes, and then every 5-10 minutes until done.
• Remove ramekins from water bath and allow to cool to room temperature, uncovered. Then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge at least 4 hours, and up to 2 days.
• When ready to serve, remove from the fridge and top with a couple teaspoons of sugar. Caramelize with a blowtorch or place under the broiler for a minute or two. If using the broiler method, keep a constant watch on them to avoid burning the sugar.