Eddie, being the awesome friend that he is, realised that I was missing a pretty blue flame in my fairly well-stocked kitchen, and bought me a creme brulee set. (Truth be told, he might have had ulterior motives, seeing how he LOVES said dessert.)
So, being the appreciative friend that I am, I tried, for the first time, to make creme brulee. Found a recipe here. The most helpful part was the first comment, with all the tips.
Ingredients (makes 8 small servings)
8 egg yolks
4 tbs sugar (more if you like it sweeter)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups whipping cream
sifted brown and granulated sugar to form crust
Method:
With the whisk attachment of an electric mixer, whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla.
Heat cream until just almost boiled.
In a steady stream, whisk cream into egg mixture.
Strain into a small pitcher (I used my bodum coffee press) and let stand for a bit for the liquid to settle.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F, middle rack.
In a 9x13 pyrex dish, arrange the ramekins to fit.
Create a water bath by filling the dish with hot water halfway up around the ramekins.
Skim off the foam of the custard liquid, and throw away.
Pour the liquid into the ramekins. Try to distribute evenly.
Bake for 15-30 minutes, until just set. They will jiggle slightly like pudding/gelatin.
Remove from oven and let sit in the warm water for 15 minutes, then cover and chill for 2 hours, up to 3 days.
When ready to serve, sprinkle with sugar and torch, being careful to brown, not burn, the sugar.
Comments:
There are lots of recipes that call for twice the amount of liquid. I actually had a bit of a calculation error, but it still worked out. I liked the math: 1 egg yolk to half tbs sugar to quarter-cup cream per serving, vanilla not withstanding.
I was very impatient, and didn't wait long enough for the liquid to settle, and so my first few creme brulees were very foamy. They had these concave skins after baking--very visually unappealing. AND, it caused me to unevenly distribute the liquid, such that my most perfect-looking custard, was not quite set. (Having the least amount of foam, it had the most liquid, and therefore would've needed more time to set.)
I wonder if hand-whisking would've sufficed. The amount of foam was incredible, and seemed rather wasteful.
No picture, as it was rather blurry.
It is a good idea to have a good layer of sugar to torch. If the sugar is sparse, it's more likely to burn, rather than melt and caramelize.
Verdict:
Good! Very smooth in texture.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Butternut Squash Pie
I'd debated over making pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake, and Cindy voted for pie. I've made this before, and quite liked it, and since pumpkins tend to be rather large, I figured I'd go with this.
Ingredients:
1 9" pie shell
1.5 cup cooked, pureed butternut squash (1 small butternut squash ~1 lb)
0.75 cup packed brown sugar
0.75 cup evaporated milk
1 tbs melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
0.25 tsp ground ginger
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
0,25 tsp salt
3 eggs
2 tbs flour
Method:
To cook squash, cut in half lengthwise and place cut side down in a baking pan with a centimetre of water. Cover loosely and bake at 400F until it can be pierced with a fork, 45-55 minutes.
Puree filling ingredients together and pour into a pie shell that is on a baking sheet (this prevents spills).
Bake at 350F until set, about 45-55 minutes.
Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Comments:
Again no pictures, but it looks like pumpkin pie.
Let the puree cool down before making the pie filling, or you could end up with bits of cooked egg.
Verdict:
Like, but rather rich, so this recipe can serve 12.
Ingredients:
1 9" pie shell
1.5 cup cooked, pureed butternut squash (1 small butternut squash ~1 lb)
0.75 cup packed brown sugar
0.75 cup evaporated milk
1 tbs melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
0.25 tsp ground ginger
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
0,25 tsp salt
3 eggs
2 tbs flour
Method:
To cook squash, cut in half lengthwise and place cut side down in a baking pan with a centimetre of water. Cover loosely and bake at 400F until it can be pierced with a fork, 45-55 minutes.
Puree filling ingredients together and pour into a pie shell that is on a baking sheet (this prevents spills).
Bake at 350F until set, about 45-55 minutes.
Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Comments:
Again no pictures, but it looks like pumpkin pie.
Let the puree cool down before making the pie filling, or you could end up with bits of cooked egg.
Verdict:
Like, but rather rich, so this recipe can serve 12.
Balsamic Roast Veggies
I'm usually really lacksadaisical about making veggies. As far as I'm concerned, Chinese stuff just needs to be flash-boiled and drizzled with oyster sauce, and other veggies just need to be steamed with a bit of Mrs. Dash.
For Thanksgiving, however, I thought I'd spare my friends, who always have to eat the same things when they're over, especially if it's Western food.
This recipe really is just for reference.
Ingredients:
6 plum tomatoes, quartered
1 zucchini, sliced into thick half-moons
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 red onion, cut into half-wedges
1 eggplant, quartered lengthwise, and then thickly sliced
4 carrots (small-medium), cut into 1" pieces
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
dried parsley
salt
pepper
Method:
Cook carrots in water until they can be pierced with a fork.
Preheat oven to 375F.
In a large baking dish, pour enough olive oil to coat the veggies.
Add balsamic vinegar, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.
Add veggies and toss to coat.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
Stir the veggies and bake another 15 minutes, or to desired tenderness.
Comments:
I am not sure if onions add flavour. I might try next time without the onion, because I found that a lot was thrown out.
The picture to go with this would've been really pretty, but alas, we didn't take any.
Verdict:
You practically can't go wrong with balsamic.
For Thanksgiving, however, I thought I'd spare my friends, who always have to eat the same things when they're over, especially if it's Western food.
This recipe really is just for reference.
Ingredients:
6 plum tomatoes, quartered
1 zucchini, sliced into thick half-moons
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 red onion, cut into half-wedges
1 eggplant, quartered lengthwise, and then thickly sliced
4 carrots (small-medium), cut into 1" pieces
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
dried parsley
salt
pepper
Method:
Cook carrots in water until they can be pierced with a fork.
Preheat oven to 375F.
In a large baking dish, pour enough olive oil to coat the veggies.
Add balsamic vinegar, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.
Add veggies and toss to coat.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
Stir the veggies and bake another 15 minutes, or to desired tenderness.
Comments:
I am not sure if onions add flavour. I might try next time without the onion, because I found that a lot was thrown out.
The picture to go with this would've been really pretty, but alas, we didn't take any.
Verdict:
You practically can't go wrong with balsamic.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Corn Bread
Some time ago, I made cornbread to go with pulled pork and mentioned that it was too dry, to the point where if I inhaled through my nose with it in my mouth, bits would end up in the wrong pipe.
This time, there is cream-style corn involved. Should be more moist. The original recipe is here. I only cut down on the sugar and salt.
Ingredients:
1 cup corn meal
0.5 cup flour
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp baking powder
0.25 tsp salt
0.25 cup butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork
0.75 cups (about half a 400mL can) cream style corn
Method:
Preheat oven to 400F, middle rack.
Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl.
Add wet ingredients and mix until just blended.
Transfer to a greased 8" square pan and bake until toothpick comes clean, about 17-20 minutes.
Cool, cut and serve!
Verdict:
I definitely like this better than my other batch. The sides were crispy, and corn kernels provides some interest. The flavour is stubtle.
We had this with chili, and it was only ok. I liked the chili and cornbread separately. The chili was a matter of browning beef, and throwing it, along with a giant can of kidney beans, about half a bag of frozen veggie mix, a jar of pasta sauce, and a diced onion into the slow cooker. Seasonings were thyme, basil, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, all to taste. High power for 6 hours, and all was good to go. Should freeze well. (I am going to make great use of our new chest freezer ^^)
This time, there is cream-style corn involved. Should be more moist. The original recipe is here. I only cut down on the sugar and salt.
Ingredients:
1 cup corn meal
0.5 cup flour
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp baking powder
0.25 tsp salt
0.25 cup butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork
0.75 cups (about half a 400mL can) cream style corn
Method:
Preheat oven to 400F, middle rack.
Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl.
Add wet ingredients and mix until just blended.
Transfer to a greased 8" square pan and bake until toothpick comes clean, about 17-20 minutes.
Cool, cut and serve!
Verdict:
I definitely like this better than my other batch. The sides were crispy, and corn kernels provides some interest. The flavour is stubtle.
We had this with chili, and it was only ok. I liked the chili and cornbread separately. The chili was a matter of browning beef, and throwing it, along with a giant can of kidney beans, about half a bag of frozen veggie mix, a jar of pasta sauce, and a diced onion into the slow cooker. Seasonings were thyme, basil, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, all to taste. High power for 6 hours, and all was good to go. Should freeze well. (I am going to make great use of our new chest freezer ^^)
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