Vanilla Creme With Fresh Berry Jam Recipes

SIMPLE VANILLA CREME BRULEE WITH BERRY COULIS

Steps:

• For the creme brulee: Arrange an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Place four 6-ounce ramekins in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring a kettle or saucepan with water to a boil.
• Bring the heavy cream to a light simmer over medium heat in a small saucepan. Whisk the sugar, salt and egg yolks in a large bowl or measuring cup. Slowly pour the hot cream into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly until it thickens. Stir in the vanilla extract.
• Pour or ladle the custard evenly into the ramekins. Carefully pour enough boiling water into the baking dish to come two-thirds of the way up the ramekins, making sure to keep the water out of the ramekins. Bake until the custard is set and firm when shaken, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the custards and let cool to room temperature on a rack, then chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• For the berry coulis: Add the berries, sugar, lemon zest and juice and mint to a food processor and puree until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
• When ready to serve, sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of sugar over a custard. Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar by keeping the flame close to the sugar but moving it constantly to get an even color. Repeat with the remaining custards. Alternatively, sprinkle sugar over all the custards and place on a baking sheet under the broiler for 4 to 5 minutes, depending on your broiler.
• Serve immediately with the berry coulis, a few fresh berries and a sprig of mint on top!

VANILLA CRèME BRûLéE WITH RASPBERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread 1 tablespoon jam over bottom of each of six 3/4-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups. Press 7 berries, placed on their sides, into jam in each dish. Reserve remaining raspberries for garnish.
• Whisk yolks and 6 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl to blend. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. Gradually whisk in cream. Divide mixture among dishes. Arrange dishes in 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Pour enough hot water into pan to come halfway up sides of dishes.
• Bake custards until set in center, about 40 minutes. Place pan on work surface. Cool custards in water 30 minutes. Remove from water; chill overnight.
• Preheat broiler. Sieve 2 teaspoons brown sugar atop each custard. Place dishes on small baking sheet. Broil until sugar just starts to caramelize, rotating sheet for even browning, about 2 minutes. Chill until topping hardens, about 2 hours. Garnish with reserved berries.

VANILLA CREAM OR SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 2 cups milk in a heavy saucepan over low heat until simmering, about 5 minutes.
• Beat remaining 1/2 cup milk and cornstarch together in a bowl using a whisk until dissolved; add sugar and egg yolks and beat until smooth. Slowly pour milk mixture into simmering milk while gently whisking the simmering milk; simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and stir vanilla extract into sauce.
• Pour the sauce through a wire mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any cornstarch lumps. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the sauce, ensuring the plastic wrap is touching the sauce to prevent a skin from forming; cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
• Move sauce to refrigerator and chill completely cold, at least 30 minutes.

STRAWBERRY-VANILLA FREEZER JAM

Steps:

• Wash, hull, and coarsely chop strawberries in a large glass, ceramic, or stainless steel bowl. Mash with a potato masher to a fine texture, 1 or 2 minutes. Add sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla bean paste. Stir well and let stand until berries have released some of their juice, about 30 minutes. Add pectin, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until well combined after each addition. Let stand 5 minutes to activate pectin.
• Spoon jam into clean, wide-mouth, half-pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe rims clean with a damp paper towel. Loosely apply clean lids and set jars in freezer. Freeze completely, about 5 hours.
• Tighten lids. Store in freezer up to 1 year or in fridge up to 1 month.

VANILLA CREME WITH FRESH BERRY JAM

Steps:

• To prepare jam, combine 1/3 cup water and 3 tablespoons sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Add 1 cup chopped strawberries, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until mixture is syrupy, mashing with a fork. Remove from heat, and stir in remaining 1 cup chopped strawberries. Pour into a bowl, and cool completely. Cover and chill.
• To prepare creme, sprinkle gelatin over whole milk in a small saucepan; let stand for 10 minutes. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean, and add seeds and bean to milk mixture. Cook the milk mixture over medium-low heat 10 minutes or until gelatin dissolves, stirring constantly with a whisk. Increase heat to medium, and add 6 tablespoons sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Stir in buttermilk. Remove and discard vanilla bean. Spoon about 1/2 cup buttermilk mixture into each of 6 small glasses. Cover and chill 6 hours or until set. Top each serving with 3 tablespoons berry jam. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired.

VANILLA PEAR BERRY JAM

Steps:

• Crush strawberries; transfer to a Dutch oven. Stir in pears, lemon juice and pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar; return to a full rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; skim off foam. Stir in vanilla., Ladle hot mixture into 7 hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot mixture. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight., Place jars into canner, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool.

VANILLA BERRY CREAM

Steps:

• Partly freeze berries by placing in a single layer on a cookie sheet in freezer for about 15 minutes. Remove from freezer and place berries in food processor bowl with sugar and vanilla. Process this mixture until slushy.
• With machine running, pour in yogurt and process until smooth. Pour into wine glasses and serve immediately, or chill up to 20 minutes. Serve with vanilla bean shortbread (see recipe).

STRAWBERRY JAM CAKE WITH FRESH BERRY FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°; spray three 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick baking spray with flour.
• In a large bowl, beat butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and vanilla at medium speed with a mixer until fluffy.
• Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• In a large bowl, combine flour and baking powder; sift.
• Gradually add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.
• In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
• Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.
• Gently fold into batter.
• Spoon batter into prepared pans, and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Cool in pans for 10 minutes.
• Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
• While cake is cooling, make frosting-in a large bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, and strawberry extract at medium speed with a mixer until creamy.
• Add strawberries, beating until combined.
• Gradually beat in powdered sugar until combined.
• Spread strawberry jam between layers; spread frosting on top and sides of cake.
• Garnish with strawberries, if desired.
• Store cake, covered, in refrigerator up to 3 days.