DOUBLE CARAMEL CREME BRULEE

By HeatherS

This is made as one giant creme brulee, but feel free to do them in individual servings.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (125 mL) of white sugar
• 1 cup (250 mL) of whipping cream
• 1 cup (250 mL) of milk
• 8 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) of salt
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) of coarse raw sugar
• Kitchen blowtorch

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C).

Pour a cup (250 mL) or so of water into your favourite small saucepan and sprinkle the sugar over the water, taking care to avoid the inside edges of the pot. Don't stir the sugar! Heat over medium-high heat. The sugar will melt evenly and the water will bubble away. As the sugar syrup begins to lightly colour, gently swirl the pot to help it evenly brown. Be patient. When the caramel is deeply golden brown and amazingly aromatic, carefully pour in the cream and milk. Reduce the heat to low and whisk until smooth and simmering again.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla, and salt. Slowly whisk in a ladleful of the hot caramel mixture. Continue whisking in a ladleful at a time, gradually increasing the temperature of the egg mixture, until all of the caramel is incorporated. Pour the mixture into a shallow baking dish that nestles easily in another larger pan. Add a couple of inches of hot water to the outer pan and place it in the oven. Nestle the smaller pan into the bigger pan. Bake until the custard is firm throughout but still a bit jiggly in the centre, about 45 minutes. Refrigerate until firm, a few hours or even overnight.

When you're ready to serve dessert, evenly sprinkle the raw sugar over the firm custard. Gently tilt the works back and forth to help spread the sugar around. Fire up your kitchen blowtorch and direct the flame at the sugar from a height of 2 inches (5 cm) or so, smoothly moving it back and forth. Watch carefully as the sugar browns, moving the flame away before it blackens. Continue patiently until the entire surface is brown and crisp. For the crispest results serve immediately but you may also rest for a few minutes or even refrigerate for a few hours. Serve and share!

TIP
• Egg yolks are very strong-they thicken the custard-but to perform they require gentle handling, in this case indirect heating. If they're stirred directly into the simmering caramel, they'll immediately scramble. Instead, the hot liquid is added gradually to the eggs until the two temperatures equalize. This is called tempering. As well, a water bath insulates the custard from the direct damaging heat of the oven.
• Gentle heat maximizes the eggs' molecular protein structure, binding the flavourful milk and cream and thickening the custard's smooth texture, but too much heat and the egg proteins overcook, snap, and break into a gritty mess.