GUYS. PEOPLE. BAKERS. HUMANS. IT. SNOWED.
Eeeeeeeeee. Y’all I haven’t had a snow day in two years. I cannot tell you the level of joy I got when I saw the snow. It was only a few inches but you better believe I was sledding until the hill was brown. And then I made some brownies and read for the rest of the day. The snow is just so freaking beautiful, and after frolicking and freezing my toes off I thoroughly appreciated the high levels of coziness in my room. I had a candle going, the lights turned down low, and I was drowning in blankets.
Did anyone else get snow? Do you like snow? I feel like it would be pretty hard not to. But enough yapping about snow, (although I could yap for a good long while) let’s talk sweets.
When I tell you I have been excited for this recipe since AUGUST, then you know it’s gonna be good. Now. My favorite ice cream flavor is coffee. I just think it’s the best. And this is like coffee ice cream, but more flavorful, creamy, and with a crunchy and toasty layer of brûlée-ed sugar on top. So yeah. I was excited. And yeah, it’s really tasty.
I kind of purposefully left this recipe for January. I thought it was a cozy dessert, perfect for these short winter days. Also, January is kind of known for being a slow and depressing time of year. So I knew that a little pick me up recipe would be needed. And here we are.
How’s 2024 going so far? Every new year, I feel like I should wake up and find that the trees are pink or the sky is purple or SOMETHING should look different. But that’s not really how it works so…it makes me a lil sad. But to be honest, pink trees don’t exactly fit my vibe so it’s probably for the best.
Anyway, this post is not about pink trees. It’s about crème brûlée. So let’s get into it.
Describe this Coffee Crème Brûlée to Me
Taste: As I said above, this is very reminiscent of coffee ice cream, because from an ingredient point of view that’s kind of what it is. It’s a custard, but a lil fancier then ice cream. It’s sweet and creamy, with rivers of vanilla bean and slightly bitter coffee to balance it out. Then you’ve got that caramelized sugar on the top to really make this perfect.
Texture: Like all good desserts, this has two different contrasting textures. The custard is creamy and smooth and melts in your mouth, while the topping is nice and crunchy. The two different textures compliment each other so well, it creates a truly magical experience.
Ease: You may have seen or heard of crème brûlée and thought, that must be really hard to make. But the secret is, it’s really not. None of the steps are “hard” per se, but there are a couple of things that are a little finicky, like keeping the custard moving as you cook it, and knowing how long to bake them. But it is my firm believe that with careful patience, anyone can make these.
What is Crème Brûlée?
I’m so glad you asked, I probably should have cleared this up earlier. Crème brûlée is a French dessert consisting of a smooth layer of custard (typically vanilla, but we’re fancy and sleep deprived so coffee), topped with a layer of torched sugar to create a crunchy shell. You break through the warm shell to reach cold and creamy deliciousness. It’s like fining a pot of gold.
Troubleshooting
Making custard can seem like a somewhat daunting task, so here are a few things to keep in mind as you learn.
1. Heat and stirring: When making custard, it relies a lot on temperature and movement to slightly cook the eggs without scrambling them. This means you should pretty much always be stirring the hot thing, and never take your eyes off of what you’re doing.
2. Custard moves quickly: Often, it will seem like nothings happening but custard can go from raw to overcooked in a matter of seconds. That’s one of the reasons stirring is so important and why you should always have a thermometer near by
3. Read the instructions: Reading through the recipe before you begin will help make this go more smoothly. This way you won’t be frantically reading while you’re stirring fragile hot custard! It also helps to have all your ingredients and equipment out and at the ready before you begin.
4. Baking in a water bath: Crème brûlée is cooked on the stove before being poured into ramekins to finish cooking in the oven. To prevent these from turning cakey, we bake these in a tin with hot water. This adds steam, creating a moist environment for your custard.
5. Chill time: Once baked, make sure you allow these to rest at room temperature before moving to the refrigerator. Going from hot to cold too quickly can mess up the texture of these, so they need that buffer time at room temperature before taking a four hour nap in the fridge.
Coffee Crème Brûlée
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a large heat proof bowl (or a large liquid measuring cup) whisk together the egg yolks and ½ cup of the granulated sugar until smooth. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 325℉. Place 6 ramekins in a large baking dish. The baking dish should be deep enough to hold about 2 inches of water. We will bake these in a water bath so begin bringing a large pot of water to a boil (I use a tea kettle)
- In a large saucepan, whisk together the cream, espresso powder, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once simmering, remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla bean paste.
- Immediately take out roughly ½ cup of the hot cream and slowly and steadily stream it into the egg yolks and sugar, whisking constantly. Then, slowly and steadily stream that mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining warm cream, whisking to combine.
- Divide the mixture between the 6 round ramekins in the baking dish. Pour the hot water from step #2 into the baking dish, being careful not to spill any in the custards. You will want an even layer of water, about 1 ½ inches deep.
- Carefully transfer the baking dish to the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 170°F when inserted into the middle of one of the custards. Oven times vary, so I recommend checking at the 30 minute mark. The sides will have set a little, but the center will still be jiggly. The tops will have developed a thin layer on top, and might have bubbles.
- Using gloves or a towel, carefully move the custards from the water bath and place on a wire cooling rack to cool for 1 hour. Then, chill the custards for 4 hours in the refrigerator loosely covered with cling wrap.
- Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar in an even layer on top of each of the custards. Use your kitchen torch to evenly toast the sugared tops of the creme brûlée. The sugar will turn golden and melt into a smooth and even layer, which will almost instantly harden. To ensure the sugar doesn’t burn, angle the torch slightly so that it isn’t hitting a small area with a full blast of heat. Be very careful doing this step to make sure nothing burns.
- Serve immediately. The un-torched custard will last up to three days in the fridge.