Crème Brûlée: Crème de la Crème

       I've had a few creations in the last few weeks, some of them better than others. Lately, however, I've had a recurring yen for French food. For those of you who don't know, I spent the fall semester of my junior year in Nantes, France. Spending time in a place where the culture and language are completely different from your own perfectly demonstrates the clash of stereotypes from both native and foreigner. Here are two of the most common questions I got about life in America: 1. Do all Americans drink Coca-Cola all the time? 2. Do all Americans eat McDonalds? Food seems to be an integral part of all stereotypes. 


     However, I had my own perceptions of the French culture. I was baffled when my host brother ate cereal for breakfast. I was surprised when my host family did not eat baguettes every day. I was excited to find my host mother not only knew what tiramisu was, but also made it for special occasions. As time went on and I had not seen a crème brûlée, I began to acknowledge my own stereotypes. Still, some of us have been trained to associate the crème brûlée with France (crème de la crème). So in my time of need when my France craving came around, I fell back on my stereotypes and completed the ultimate faux-pas. 


      To me, the essential thing you need for crème brûlée is a torch. If you're thinking of investing, they're reasonable priced and can be used with anything. I went through a "torching" phase when I first got it and torched everything from toast and bananas to sugar on yogurt and meringue to even peanut butter (NEVER try this. Burnt peanut butter is disgusting). However, the recipe can be made using a broiler instead of a torch. 

Rammekins

      Aside from acquiring a torch, a crème brûlée is relatively easy to make. You also need ramekins (the little containers used to put the crème brûlée in). These are easy to find, although you may find more of the larger ramekins in America. True French stereotype: Americans to enjoy bigger proportions. For something as rich as a crème brûlée however, I think the smaller proportions are perfect. This recipe doesn't take many ingredients, and it almost always ends up tasting delicious. It also is a major crowd-pleaser ("Wow you can make crème brûlée?!"). 



                      Bon appétit!


Crème Brûlée 

• 2 cups heavy cream (one of the 16 ounce containers)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 large egg yolks
• One pinch salt

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. While water is boiling, combine cream, 1/4 cup sugar and salt in saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally 4 to 5 minutes, until steam rises. In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks and vanilla until smooth. Pour hot cream into yolks, a little at a time, stirring constantly, until all cream is incorporated.
3. Place ramekins in a baking dish, and pour the mixture into the ramekins. Place the dish containing the ramekins on oven rack (be careful not to spill!). Pour boiling water into dish to halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover whole pan loosely with foil.
4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until custard is just set. Chill ramekins in refrigerator 4 to 6 hours (although honestly, I think they taste delicious whenever!). 
5. Before serving, sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over each custard. Use a kitchen torch or oven broiler to brown top, 2 to 3 minutes.

Finished product using brown sugar (you can use brown or white)