Bakergirl Concepts: Creme Brulee

Now I don’t know about you, but Crème brulee has to be one of the sexiest and alluring desserts out there. Just about every restaurant out there has it on their menu and most of them attempt to do it well and few succeed. To me, the sexy aspect comes from the smooth creamy custard and the contrasting crunch of the hardened sugar topping. These two textured elements go so well together they always put a smile on my face.

Whenever I make this dessert, I always like to play around with the flavor combinations. The custard base has so many possibilities. Recently, I’ve been fooling around with some different combinations using teas, extracts and fruit flavorings. One of my favorites right now is

Cinnamon Banana Chocolate Chai.

I am a huge fan of Chai and the spiciness of the tea. The mix of spices and sweet flavor makes for a perfect blending for bruled sugar.

Making this dessert will impress your guests and give you the confidence of making a spectacular dessert in the kitchen. Crème brulee is actually quite simple to make. This particular recipe uses dark chocolate but you can also substitute bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 2 cups whole milk

• 8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped fine

• 8 large egg yolks

• 1/3 cup sugar plus more for sprinkling

• 1 large banana, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds

• ¼ tsp cinnamon or large cinnamon stick

• 2 Chai tea bags

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 300°F.

In a large pot, heat cream, milk, cinnamon stick or powder along with the tea bag until they just begin to bubble.
Reduce heat to low. Remove tea bags and add chocolate.
Whisk until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
Whisk yolks and 1/3 cup sugar in large bowl and blend well. Egg yolks will turn light yellow.
Gradually whisk in hot chocolate mixture. This process is called tempering. Carefull not to get the mixture too hot or the eggs will begin to scramble.
Strain.

Place sliced bananas inside ramekins and divide custard among eight 6-ounce ramekins or custard cups. Place cups in large baking pan. Add enough hot water to pan to come halfway up sides of cups. Cover with foil and pierce a few holes in foil to allow steam to escape. Bake until custards are just set (about 30-40 minutes). Custard will be mostly solid but still jiggle a bit in the center. Remove from water and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to serve, preheat broiler. Sprinkle the top of each dish with 1 tablespoon sugar. Broil until sugar turns golden (about 3 minutes). Watch very closely while broiling to avoid burning the sugar. Alternatively, you can brown the sugar with a handheld propane or butane torch. I was so excited, this Christmas, my husband bought me a butane torch just like the one I used in the kitchen! I LOVE IT!

Once the sugar is bruleed, the tops should be hardened and crack when tapped with a spoon.