kitchen torch | thebrookcook

Crème Brûlée

My son wanted a dessert that he could “light on fire” to celebrate his 12th birthday. I hope that this is age appropriate. 😉

After rejecting my suggestion of Bananas Foster, he chose a classic crème brûlée. and… yes, with close supervision, he torched his dessert!

This recipe was adapted from Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten, via Food Network.com. I used large eggs, Cointreau instead of Grand Marnier, slightly adapted the method and increased the baking time. Special and delicious.

Yield: Makes 6 ramekins/servings

1 large egg
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for each serving
3 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange liqueur (such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of the sugar together on low-speed until just combined.
Meanwhile, scald the cream in a small saucepan until it’s very hot to the touch but not boiled.
With the mixer on low-speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. (I transferred the hot cream to a liquid measuring cup to ease adding it into the mixer bowl.)
Add the vanilla and liqueur and pour into 6 to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.
Place the ramekins in a 9×13 pyrex baking pan (I placed a square silicone pot holder underneath the ramekins so that they didn’t shift in the pan.)
Glide the oven rack out of the oven cavity and place the pan on the rack. Carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. (I used a tea kettle.)
Slowly glide rack into the oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken.
Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm. (I refrigerated them overnight.)
To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar caramelizes evenly.
Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.

and…

Of course, it wouldn’t be a birthday in our house without also having Number Cookies. 🙂 I had to make a couple of numeric “12’s” to go along with my son’s Roman Numeral “XII’s”. 🙂 They were swimming pool blue for my swimmer this year. ❤

One Year Ago:

Eleventh Birthday Longboard Cake! (Yellow Cake with Chocolate Icing)

Two Years Ago:

Three Years Ago:

Four Years Ago:

Birthday Cake Gallery

If you like this you may also like:

Black & White Crème Brûlée

Fourth of July S’mores Bars with Marshmallow Meringue

I love the 4th of July. Love fireworks. Love celebrating with friends. Love all-American desserts and an excuse to make them too! 🙂

This morning we ate breakfast outside listening to Pandora’s Patriotic station courtesy of my son. The music inspired my kids to come in and play patriotic music- my son on the cello and my daughter on the piano. Great! The celebration begins…

But now we may have a new July 4th tradition in my house… this dessert! A graham cracker crust topped with a rich Valrhona chocolate layer and then fluffy (and pretty!) marshmallow meringue- a genius upgrade of all-American s’mores! This recipe was adapted from a Food and Wine “staff-favorite” recipe, contributed by Cheryl and Griffith Day.

I’m sharing this deliciousness at Fiesta Friday #75‘s J & J show this week which I am co-hosting with Julie of Hostess at Heart. Happy Independence Day!!

Yield: 30 bars (or up to 60 bites!)

For the Crust:

3 cups graham cracker crumbs (12 ounces)
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the Brownie Filling:

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cubed
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped (I used Valrhona 71% Cacao Dark Bittersweet Chocolate)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature (I put in a bowl of warm water)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

For the Meringue:

3 large egg whites
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

To Make the Crust:

Preheat the oven to 350° (on convection, if possible).
Line a 9-inch-square baking pan with foil, allowing 2 inches of overhang on two sides.
In a medium bowl, using a fork, mix all of the ingredients until evenly moistened. Press the crumbs evenly into  the bottom of the prepared pan. (I used the bottom of a dry measuring cup.)
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, just until lightly browned. Let cool completely. Leave the oven on.

To Make the Filling:

In a heatproof medium bowl set over  a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter with the chocolate over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the sugar, vanilla and salt. Whisk in the eggs until smooth, then stir in the flour until just incorporated. Spread the batter evenly over the cooled crust. Bake for about 22 minutes on convection or up to 25 minutes in a standard oven, until the edge is set but the center is still slightly jiggly. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.

To Make the Meringue:

Preheat the broiler, if using (I used a kitchen torch.).
In a heatproof medium bowl (I used my stand mixer bowl) set over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk the egg whites with the sugar until the whites are warm and the sugar is dissolved, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Transfer the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk. Add the vanilla and cream of tartar and beat at medium speed until firm.
Increase the speed to high and beat the meringue until stiff and glossy, 5 to 7 minutes.
Mound the meringue on top of the filling, swirling it decoratively. Broil the meringue 8 inches from the heat until lightly browned at the tips, about 1 minute. (or use a mini kitchen torch instead.)
Cut into bars and serve.

Note: The bars can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 2 days.