Vanilla CrÉme Recipes

CREME BRûLéE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325ºF.
• Combine the cream, vanilla bean pod and its pulp in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover, and allow to steep for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean pod and reserve for another use, such as making vanilla sugar.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the vanilla sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream, a little at a time, stirring constantly.
• Pour the liquid into 6 (7- to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins in a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brûlée is set, but still trembling in the center, 40 to 45 minutes.
• Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. Remove the creme brûlée from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to serving. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brûlée to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

HONEY VANILLA CRèME FRAîCHE

Steps:

• This can either be thin like a sauce or thick like whipped cream. For the sauce, simply combine all the ingredients with a spoon. To make it thick, place all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and mix on high speed for about 60 seconds, or until it is as thick as whipped cream.

VANILLA CRèME BRûLéE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a saucepan, combine cream, vanilla bean and salt and cook over low heat just until hot. Let sit for a few minutes, then discard vanilla bean. (If using vanilla extract, add it now.)
• In a bowl, beat yolks and sugar together until light. Stir about a quarter of the cream into this mixture, then pour sugar-egg mixture into cream and stir. Pour into four 6-ounce ramekins and place ramekins in a baking dish; fill dish with boiling water halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until centers are barely set. Cool completely. Refrigerate for several hours and up to a couple of days.
• When ready to serve, top each custard with about a teaspoon of sugar in a thin layer. Place ramekins in a broiler 2 to 3 inches from heat source. Turn on broiler. Cook until sugar melts and browns or even blackens a bit, about 5 minutes. Serve within two hours.

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.

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk.
• Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar. Frosts 13x9-inch cake generously, or fills and frosts an 8- or 9-inch two-layer cake.

VANILLA CREPES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together the milk, egg yolks and vanilla. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt and melted butter until well blended.
• Heat a crepe pan over medium heat until hot. Coat with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and tip to spread the batter to the edges. When bubbles form on the top and the edges are dry, flip over and cook until lightly browned on the other side and edges are golden. Repeat with remaining batter.
• Fill crepes with your favorite fruit, cream, caramel or even ice cream or cheese to serve.

VANILLA CREAM

Steps:

• Whisk yolks until smooth. Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add milk in a slow, steady stream. Cook, stirring, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken, about 5 minutes.
• Pour 1/3 of milk mixture into yolks, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until thick, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in vanilla.
• Pass vanilla cream through a fine sieve into a bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on surface. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days.