If you ever find yourself in need of a last-minute dessert item by far one of the easiest, and most popular desert out there is crème caramel. The simple caramel flavored egg custard can be prepared with less than an hour of time necessary to complete the task. The simple garnish of whipped cream, fresh fruit, or even something as simple as just some chopped butter toffee candy can transform your custard to fit any situation.
Ingredients:
500 mL whole milk
4 each large eggs
60 g granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, Split
150 g sugar-for caramel
50 mL water-for caramel
steps:
1. Make caramel, combine the sugar and water indicated in the recipe to be used for the caramel in a small sauté pan. Heat on the stove, over medium-high heat, until reduced, and golden brown in color. Immediately transfer the caramel into ovenproof soufflé cups, making sure to just coat the bottom of each cup. Reserve.
2. Make the custard, mix the eggs and sugar together.
3. Steep the milk with the vanilla bean until just starts to boil. Remove from heat, and immediately add in three equal parts, to the egg and sugar mixture stirring continuously. Stirring between each addition. Remove vanilla bean.
4. When your caramel has set up in the soufflé cups, fill each cup 1/4 inch from the top with custard mixture.
5. Place your soufflé cups into an ovenproof baking dish, add water to baking dish creating a water bath halfway up the side of your soufflé cups. Make sure not to allow any water to mix with your custard.
6. Bake your custard in a 350°F oven for approximately 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of your custard allows you to see that your custard has set, and no liquid is present.
7. Remove from oven, and chill,covered with plastic wrap to prevent discoloring.
8. When your custard has chilled, gently cut around the edge of your soufflé cup allowing the custard to be released from the sides. Immediately invert the soufflé cup on to a small plate allowing your custard to transfer to your plate, and golden caramel sauce to pool around the base. Garnish and serve.
Showing posts with label Custard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Custard. Show all posts
Monday, April 12, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Pastry Cream
Pastry cream is a thickened vanilla custard used in hundreds of desserts and pastries worldwide. It has always been a staple in any kitchen I've ever worked and more importantly is one of the first things I teach to those eager to become a chef. During my studies I was taught that around the year 1440, when the Paris pastry guild first published its constitution is when its use appears in classical French cuisine. This also happens to be the first point in history with the term pastry chef entered our lives. *
From cream puffs, éclairs, parfaits, and the filling for hundreds of cakes and pies, our lives would not be the same without the advent of pastry.
Pastry Cream
1 quart heavy cream
2 vanilla beans, split
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 ounces granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
steps:
1. Place the heavy cream and vanilla bean in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil on the stove and reduce heat to prevent boiling over.
2. Mix the cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the eggs gradually while whisking until smooth.
3. Slowly add about one third of the heavy cream to the egg mixture while whisking continuously. Pour the egg mixture back into the remaining heated cream.
4. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture just begins to boil and thickened. Continue to stir, while counting to 10. Remove from heat, taste to make sure all starch flavor has been removed. If you can still taste the starchy residue, return to heat and cook a couple seconds longer.
5. Transfer to a heat proof container, and place plastic film directly on top of custard making sure to remove all air bubbles. Place in the refrigerator and allow to cool completely.
6. When ready to use your pastry cream, removed from the refrigerator, remove plastic and vanilla beans, and knocked back with a wooden spoon until smooth.
7. Rinse the vanilla bean with cool water, and pat dry with a paper towel. The vanilla bean can now be added to your sugar canister to continue to add flavor for future baking needs.
Variations:
Coffee flavored pastry: Dissolve 2 tablespoons of instant espresso powder in the cream before whisking it into the egg yolk mixture
Chocolate pastry cream: add 4 ounces of melted semi sweet chocolate to the warm cream, prior to adding to the egg mixture.
Butterscotch pastry cream: substitute for ounces of light brown sugar and place of granulated sugar in the recipe.
Orange pastry cream: add 3 fluid ounces of Grand Marnier liquor, and 1 ounce grated orange zest.
Praline pastry cream: add 1/2 cup of ground peanut brittle after your custard has been removed from the stove, whisk to incorporate, cover and refrigerate as with the original recipe.
Crème diplomat (Bavarian cream): equal parts of the whipped pastry cream and whipped cream folded together to incorporate evenly.
*You can read more on the subject by picking up copies of Culture and Cuisine: A Journey Through the History of Food, Jean-Francois Revel, and Larousse, Gastronomique ,as both provide us with wonderful historic accounts for the use of pastry cream.
From cream puffs, éclairs, parfaits, and the filling for hundreds of cakes and pies, our lives would not be the same without the advent of pastry.
Pastry Cream
1 quart heavy cream
2 vanilla beans, split
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 ounces granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
steps:
1. Place the heavy cream and vanilla bean in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil on the stove and reduce heat to prevent boiling over.
2. Mix the cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the eggs gradually while whisking until smooth.
3. Slowly add about one third of the heavy cream to the egg mixture while whisking continuously. Pour the egg mixture back into the remaining heated cream.
4. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture just begins to boil and thickened. Continue to stir, while counting to 10. Remove from heat, taste to make sure all starch flavor has been removed. If you can still taste the starchy residue, return to heat and cook a couple seconds longer.
5. Transfer to a heat proof container, and place plastic film directly on top of custard making sure to remove all air bubbles. Place in the refrigerator and allow to cool completely.
6. When ready to use your pastry cream, removed from the refrigerator, remove plastic and vanilla beans, and knocked back with a wooden spoon until smooth.
7. Rinse the vanilla bean with cool water, and pat dry with a paper towel. The vanilla bean can now be added to your sugar canister to continue to add flavor for future baking needs.
Variations:
Coffee flavored pastry: Dissolve 2 tablespoons of instant espresso powder in the cream before whisking it into the egg yolk mixture
Chocolate pastry cream: add 4 ounces of melted semi sweet chocolate to the warm cream, prior to adding to the egg mixture.
Butterscotch pastry cream: substitute for ounces of light brown sugar and place of granulated sugar in the recipe.
Orange pastry cream: add 3 fluid ounces of Grand Marnier liquor, and 1 ounce grated orange zest.
Praline pastry cream: add 1/2 cup of ground peanut brittle after your custard has been removed from the stove, whisk to incorporate, cover and refrigerate as with the original recipe.
Crème diplomat (Bavarian cream): equal parts of the whipped pastry cream and whipped cream folded together to incorporate evenly.
*You can read more on the subject by picking up copies of Culture and Cuisine: A Journey Through the History of Food, Jean-Francois Revel, and Larousse, Gastronomique ,as both provide us with wonderful historic accounts for the use of pastry cream.
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