 | The Mansion’s creame brle is a classic version heightened by the sweet taste of raspberries. |
French Delight
The simple creame brale is Dallas favorite dessert. Just check all the menus.
It never fails. The meal winds down, the coffee is served, and thoughts turn toward something sweet. As a dining critic, I’ve reviewed enough restaurants to spot the usual suspects: tiramisu, something with Blue Bell vanilla ice cream, and, the latest trendy culprit, chocolate cake with a gooey, melted center. Not that any of those are bad, just fairly typical. So I try to steer the crowd toward something a little daring. But try as I might, the table’s response is always the same: Ooh “look!
Sacr bleu! Could someone explain how such an innocuous dessert has captured the heart of Dallas? Whether the cuisine is Italian, Asian, or Ethiopian, it makes no difference. You’ll find this sweet, simple custard on just about every menu.
Literally translated as burnt cream, the dessert in question dates back to the 1600s, and its longevity attests to its popularity. Perhaps it’s the dessert’s simplicity that makes it so alluring. Chilled and stirred, the vanilla custard is sprinkled with brown or granulated sugar, and then the sugar is quickly caramelized with a cooking torch. The topping, crisp and brittle, is a delicious foil to the custard’s smooth texture. As the following recipes show, chefs love to take liberties with the old French gal, but her uncomplicated essence always shines through.
Of course, my complaints of, It’s too common “try something different, always fall on deaf ears. And, truth be told, the ease with which I give in to my dining companions pleas betrays my own heart and hunger. For I, too, fall under the dessert’s charm after one spoonful. Or in other words, Mmmmm…creame brle.
Maple Creame Brale
by Il Sole executive chef Jeffery Hobbs
(serves 6)
3 1/3 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup maple syrup
8 egg yolks
2/3 cups sugar
6 tablespoons sugar
This recipe is easiest on the stress level if started three days before needed. Make the crème anglaise on day one, bake the custards on day two, and crust them just before serving on day three. The custards will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for up to five days.
Place the cream, vanilla, and maple syrup in a large pot. Bring just to a simmer and remove from heat.
Whisk the egg yolks and 2/3 cup of sugar together until foamy and lemon-yellow in color. Whisk in hot cream, and strain though a fine mesh strainer. Chill completely in an ice bath or, preferably, overnight in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Ladle six ounces of custard into each ramekin. Set ramekins into a hotel pan. Add warm water to the pan to come to the ramekins halfway point. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 1 hour. Rotate the pan halfway through the baking process, and start checking the custards after 50 minutes. When ready, the custards will wiggle when jiggled, but they should not ripple.
Remove pan from the oven. Remove the foil. Leave the custards in the water bath until cool. Remove ramekins from pan and refrigerate until chilled.
When ready to serve, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over each custard. Spread evenly over the top with fingers or by shaking, tilting, and rolling the ramekin from side to side. Ignite the torch and hold above the custard so the flame is at a 45-degree angle and the tip is just touching the sugar. Move the flame over the sugar as it begins to caramelize. Do not be afraid to slightly burn the sugar. Allow to cool slightly. Serve on a plate garnished with berries and a mint sprig, if you wish.
Creame Brale with Raspberry Sauce
by The Mansion on Turtle Creek pastry chef James Wagner and executive chef Dean Fearing
(serves 6)
6 extra large egg yolks
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split
1 cup raspberries
6 Puff pastry shells
Raspberry sauce
Combine egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in the top half of a double boiler over very hot water. Whisk (or beat with a hand mixer) until lemon-colored and the consistency of mousse. Remove from heat and
set aside.
Place cream and vanilla bean in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Strain through a fine sieve. Slowly pour into egg yolks, whisking rapidly as you pour.
Return double boiler to heat and cook, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes or until mixture is quite thick. Remove top half of double boiler and place in a bowl of ice. Stir occasionally while mixture cools, until it reaches the consistency of a very thick custard.
Spread a single layer of fresh raspberries over the bottom of six baked puff-pastry shells. Pour cooled crème over raspberries to top of shells. Refrigerate for at least three hours and up to eight hours. When chilled, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over each filled shell and place about 6 inches away from broiler flame for about three minutes or until sugar caramelizes. Do not overcook or crème will melt.
Immediately remove from heat. Pour raspberry sauce over the bottom of six dessert plates. Place a crème brûlée in the center, and serve immediately.
Raspberry Sauce
1 cup fresh raspberries
1/4 cup simple syrup
Purée raspberries in a blender or food processor. When smooth, strain through an extra-fine sieve to remove all seeds. Stir simple syrup into raspberry purée until well blended.
Simple Syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
Combine sugar and water in a small, heavy saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil. Keep at a boil, stirring constantly, for about three minutes or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool. May be stored, refrigerated and tightly covered, for up to three months.
Cuban Coffee Creame Brale
by Cuba Libre chef Nick Badovinus
(serves 6)
8 large egg yolks
1 cup and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 quart heavy cream
3 Mexican vanilla beans, split lengthwise
2 teaspoons Trablit (intense French coffee extract)
1/2 cup turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. In a large saucepan, combine heavy cream and vanilla beans. Bring to a low boil. Remove from heat and carefully scrape the inside of each vanilla bean. Add scrapings to cream. Toss beans.
In a large mixing bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar, and Trablit. Vigorously whisk all items together to incorporate Trablit and dissolve sugar.
In a very slow, steady stream, add cream and vanilla mixture into egg yolk, sugar, and Trablit, whisking steadily so as not to cook egg yolks.
Evenly divide the mixture into six 6-ounce ramekins. Place ramekins in a baking dish. Fill baking dish with water to half the height of ramekins. Cover pan with one layer of plastic wrap and one layer of foil. Place in oven for 50 minutes or until custard is cooked.
Carefully remove from oven. Place ramekins in refrigerator for no less than 12 hours in order to properly set up.
When ready to serve, preheat broiler on high and evenly divide turbinado sugar over the top of your custards. Place ramekins under broiler. Lightly caramelize sugar until it hardens. Remove from broiler, cool for five minutes, then serve.
