Orange crème brûlée

I tried to write a nice post for today’s recipe but all I can think of is that my coconut ice cream photo came in second in April's DMBLGIT! :)

I’ve taken part in several DMBLGIT editions, but had never won anything – it is so good to be there. And to see my lovely friend Meeta there, too, with her gorgeous brioche- yum!

A special thank you to Julia for hosting the event so beautifully, and to the super talented judges.

Orange crème brûlée
adapted from Australian Gourmet Traveller

¾ cup (180ml) heavy cream
1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk
a 5cm (2in) piece orange zest
1 tablespoon Cointreau
¼ cup (50g) caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
4 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F. Combine cream, milk and orange zest in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and bring almost to the boil. Cover and set aside for 20 minutes. Add the Cointreau.
Reheat the cream mixture. Combine egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until thick and pale. Whisking continuously, add half the hot cream mixture, then stir in the rest. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, then ladle into four 100ml cup-capacity ramekins. Place ramekins in a roasting pan and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Cover pan with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes or until set. Check brûlées throughout cooking process to ensure they are not cooking too quickly. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until firm.
Scatter brûlées with caster sugar and caramelize with a blow torch or under a hot grill.

Serves 4

White chocolate and cinnamon crème brulée

I have a new toy and, according to my husband, it has turned me into a very dangerous woman. :)

One of my bosses gave me a kitchen torch as a Christmas gift after his wife read my eggnog brûlée post – how lovely is that?

I thought that using my favorite spice – which happens to be very Christmassy as well – would be a great way to use my gift for the first time; to be on the safe side, I chose a recipe by Donna Hay.

White chocolate and cinnamon crème brulée
from Donna Hay magazine

1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
¾ cup (180ml) milk
1 cinnamon stick
4 egg yolks
¼ cup + ½ tablespoon (56g) caster sugar
85g white chocolate, melted
4 tablespoons caster sugar, extra

Place the cream, milk and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan over low heat and cook gently until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and set aside for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F; reheat the cream mixture.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until thick and pale. Pour the warm cream mixture over the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Return to the pan and stir over low heat until the custard is thick and coats the back of a spoon (6-8 minutes). Remove from the heat and stir the custard into the melted chocolate. Pour the mixture through a sieve into four ½-cup (120ml) capacity ovenproof ramekins and place in a deep baking dish. Pour enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until just set. Remove from the oven, let cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or until set.

Sprinkle each brûlée with one tablespoon of extra sugar. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar topping.

Serves 4

Creme brulée ice cream

Soup one day, ice cream on the other... No, my blog is not going through a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde phase, I swear! :)
Even though it’s freezing cold here in Sao Paulo today (9ºC!!) I had to share this recipe with you – the ice cream is so good I would not be able to wait for a hot day to post it.

Creme brulée ice cream
from Donna Hay magazine

Custard:
1 cup (240ml) whole milk
2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (145g) caster sugar

Toffee:
1 cup (200g) caster sugar

To make the custard, place the milk, cream and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat until it just comes to a boil. Place the yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Gradually add the milk mixture, whisking to combine. Return to the saucepan and stir over low heat for 8-10 minutes or until custard is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl, set aside to cool then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

To make the toffee, place half the sugar in a small saucepan over low heat until it starts to caramelize; stir and add the remaining sugar, to keep the caramel from burning. When it’s completely melted and golden, pour over a piece of foil and set aside to cool. When it’s completely set, use a rolling pin to break the toffee into small bits. Set aside.
Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Scoop the ice cream into a container and stir in the toffee bits. Put in freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

Serves 4