Creme Brulee Three Ways. Classic, Chocolate & Lemon Curd Brulee....

Prep  Time : 15 Minutes

Cooking Time : Classic Brulee 45 Minutes

                      Chocolate & Lemon Curd 1hr 20 minutes 

Cooling Time : 2 hours 

         

Classic Creme Brulee  

Chocolate Creme Brulee 

Lemon Curd Creme Brulee

One of my favorite desserts to have when I go out to eat is Creme Brulee. In fact when it's done right I will go back to get the same thing over and over again, the problem is it's not always done right. I have had Brulee that has a scrambled egg consistency, which is a sign that you have added the eggs too quickly to the heated cream and have scrambled them as a result. When it's made to perfection Brulee is well worth the price, it's also a dessert that can be made with relative ease but it does require patience. When I make it at home I try to make it worth my while by making a few variations.

One The Menu Today: Creme Brulee Three Ways... Classic, Chocolate & Lemon Curd

Vanilla Sugar : Make by adding split & scraped
vanilla beans to sugar

Classic Dry Ingredients : 1 cup Vanilla Sugar & 1 Vanilla Bean.

Chocolate Dry: 1 cup Vanilla Sugar, 1 Vanilla Bean
& 1/2 cup Chocolate Powder

Lemon Curd Dry: 1 tsp Lemon Zest, 1 cup Sugar & 1 Vanilla Bean

Wet Ingredients Classic & Chocolate: 6 Egg Yolks,
1 Qt Heavy Cream & 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Wet Ingredients Lemon Curd:1 tsp Vanilla Extract, 6 Egg Yolks,
1 Qt Heavy Cream & 3 Tbs Lemon Curd

Tools : Mixing Bowl, Wire Whisk, Measuring Cup, Hand Held Torch
& 8 oz. Ramekins. 

Recipe : After Preheating oven to 350 Start off by cutting
the vanilla bean in half and scraping out the seeds.  

Scrape into Vanilla beans into 1 Qt of Heavy Cream, whisk
and place in sauce pot on medium heat.  

Bring Heavy Cream & Vanilla To a boil, remove from heat
& allow to steep for 15 minutes. 

Add 6 eggs yolks and 1/2 cup of sugar to a mixing bowl. 

Whip to combine. 

Continue until incorporated and a light yellow color and then
 slowly add the heated cream (this avoids scrambling
 the eggs) after removing the vanilla bean
and reserving to make more
vanilla sugar.

For the Chocolate simply add the 1/2 cup of chocolate
powder to the cream mixture as it is heating and
follow the recipe for the classic. 

For the lemon curd add the 3 Tbs of lemon curd to the heavy
cream as it is  heating and follow the recipe for the classic. 

Place mixture into 8 oz ramekins & into an oven preheated to 335.
 The Classic Brulee will take 45-50 minutes.
The Chocolate & Lemon Curd will
take 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Pictured Above Left To Right: Lemon Curd, Chocolate & Classic
Remove from the oven and place in refrigerator
for 2 hours to cool. 

Allow dessert  to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, add

enough vanilla sugar to cover. 

Use a propane torch to caramelize the sugar. 

Lemon Curd: Garnish with lemon & fresh mint. 

Classic: Garnish with berries and fresh mint. 

Chocolate: Add sugar, berries & fresh mint. 

Quick Tip - I like chilled Brulee so I place it back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes once caramelized and before serving.