Trends in cooking come and go. But in the world of desserts, creme brulee has real staying power. The thick, cool, creamy custard (creme) nestled underneath a brittle topping of burnt (brulee) sugar has such an elemental appeal that it’s a perennial favorite.
In spite of the dessert’s popularity, however, I haven’t really seen it catch on in any big way in home kitchens, for two main reasons. First and most important, many home cooks are intimidated by making custard, which calls for very slow, gentle, attentive cooking to make sure it doesn’t curdle and turn into sweet scrambled eggs. And in summer, when a refreshing, soothing creme brulee might be just the thing, not many cooks want to stand over the stove stirring a pot of custard.
The second reason is the brulee topping. In professional kitchens, the sugar was traditionally caramelized under a salamander, a sort of industrial-quality super-hot broiler, which called for a watchful eye but did the job quickly. Home cooks could use a regular broiler, but that’s slower and harder to watch, and does the job less evenly. In more recent years, pros and amateurs alike could burn the sugar with small butane kitchen torches, but I’ve found them not powerful enough to do a quick, thorough job.
I’m happy to say, though, that neither drawback exists anymore, thanks to two relatively inexpensive devices.
First is a high-speed commercial-quality blender, the sort with 1,050 watts of
power and a maximum speed of 24,000 rpm. These used to be very expensive, but now you can get excellent home versions for under $200, ready to do everything from crushing ice to making superb smoothies to turning nuts into nut butters. Best of all, the friction generated by the blender’s highest speed can actually raise the temperature of ingredients to cooking heat, producing results like a hot ready-to-serve pureed vegetable soup or — you guessed it — a smooth, creamy custard for your creme brulee.
As for the burnt sugar, I’ve found that a small, hand-held butane torch like you can find inexpensively in any large hardware store does the job far more efficiently than the smaller torches sold in gourmet shops, but those latter ones, or even your broiler, are also perfectly adequate if you’re prepared to take it more slowly and diligently.
With the help of these two modern conveniences, you can make amazing creme brulee in just a few minutes of work, without breaking a sweat. (You’ll still need to allow a few hours for chilling them, though.) And you’ll thrill your family and friends by serving them what remains one of the trendiest desserts around.
QUICK AND EASY CREME BRULEE
Serves 6
Ingredients:
10 large cage-free egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, plus more for the brulee topping
2 1/4 cups heavy cream
3 slices peeled fresh ginger, each about 1/4-inch thick
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, coarsely chopped, if necessary, or fresh berries
Directions:
First, make the custard mixture. Put the egg yolks, 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, cream and fresh ginger in an 8-to-10-cup high-powered commercial-quality blender. Put on the lid securely.
Turn on the blender to maximum speed. Leave the blender running until you can see that the custard is steaming hot. When you stop the blender and take off the lid, the temperature of the custard should measure about 195 degrees. Blend for 7 to 8 minutes, turning off the blender to check with an instant-read thermometer inserted deep into the custard without touching the blades or canister.
Place 6 3/4-cup ramekins or custard dishes on a rimmed pan. Divide the crystallized ginger or berries, if using, among the ramekins, spreading the ingredients evenly across the bottoms. Pour the custard from the blender into the prepared ramekins, filling them almost to the top. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for several hours to overnight.
Before serving, uncover the custards. Using a sugar shaker or a spoon, sprinkle a thin, even layer of sugar over the custard.
To caramelize the sugar, light a handheld propane blowtorch or kitchen torch, carefully following the manufacturer’s instructions. Holding the torch close enough to a ramekin so that the tip of the flame touches the sugar, caramelize the sugar layer on one custard, moving the flame back and forth until the sugar crystals melt and turn a deep amber. Turn off the flame. Repeat the caramelizing process with the remaining custards.
Chill the ramekins until the caramelized sugar crusts are very cold and hard, about 1 hour (but do not refrigerate too long, or the crusts may melt). To serve, place the ramekins on small plates, instructing guests to crack the sugar topping by hitting it with the backs of their spoons.