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Chocolate Creme Brulee

After a friend recommended the movie “Paris Can Wait,” with Diane Lane, I simply had to indulge her and her husband with a Chocolate Creme Brulee at our weekly dinner.  This recipe is from Chocolate Epiphany by Chef Francois Payard (with delectable photography by Rogerio Voltan).  We were only 4 persons, and I only had 4-ounce (not 6-ounce) ramekins, so I halved Chef Payard’s ingredients.  You might try reducing the sugar just a bit further.  

Chocolate Creme Brulee
Serves 4
Easier to make than you think, this chocolate version of a French classic can be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated until ready to serve.
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Ingredients
  1. 6 oz 72% chocolate, chopped
  2. 1/3 cup sugar
  3. 4 large egg yolks
  4. 3 c/ plus 3 tbsp. heavy cream
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Arrange 4 four-ounce ramekins in a shallow baking pan (like an 8" x 8" brownie pan).
  3. Place approximately a quart of water to boil.
  4. In a stand mixer, whisk the eggs until yellow and thicker than when they came out of the shell. Add the sugar and continue to whisk until thick and pale yellow.
  5. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk until bubbles form at the edges of the pan (just before it boils). Remove from heat and stir/whisk in the chocolate until it is melted and the mixture is smooth.
  6. Take a ladel-ful of the chocolate mixture and very slowly, drizzle it into the egg mixture to temper the eggs, whisking constantly to keep the eggs from curdling.
  7. With the whisk on medium, slowly pour in the rest of the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, until everything is combined.
  8. Strain the custard through a fine sieve into a pitcher. At this point you can cover and refrigerate the mixture for up to 2 days.)
  9. Divide the mixture evenly among the ramekins.
  10. Take the boiling water and pour it into a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup with spout.
  11. Place the ramekins in the oven.
  12. Carefully pour the water into the shallow baking pan until it reaches approximately halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
  13. Bake the custards for 1 hour, until the custard is just set.
  14. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.
  15. Referigerate the ramekins until the custard is completely set and chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
  16. FINISH THE DESSERT: With the ramekins on a baking sheet, spread the top of each custard with an even layer of about 1 tablespoon sugar. Burn the sugar with a kitchen torch until it forms a crisp, caramel-colored crust, being careful not to scorch the chocolate.
Notes
  1. Chef Payard recommends using dried brown sugar (as regular brown sugar out of the box has too high a moisture content to caramelize). To dry brown sugar, place the sugar on a baking sheet and dry it in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Farenheit for about 1 hour. Transfer the sugar to a bowl fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low to break up the lumps.
Adapted from Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard
Adapted from Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard
Sea Sky & Table https://seaskyandtable.com/

Salt Butter Caramel II

This version of Salted Butter Caramel is adapted from David Lebovitz’ My Paris Kitchen.  It trades some of the water used in the caramelization process for more cream.   Try it as a thin layer on chocolate pots de creme with a dollop of flavored whipped cream as seen on Fi’lia’s menu.

 

Salt Butter Caramel
Yields 1
This version emphasizes the taste of burnt sugar and is a delicious complement to chocolate desserts.
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Ingredients
  1. 1 c. sugar
  2. 1/4 c. water
  3. 6 tblsp butter, cubed, at room temperature
  4. 3/4 c. heavy cream
  5. Sea salt
Instructions
  1. Arrange the sugar evenly across the bottom of a large skillet.
  2. Sprinkle the water evenly across the sugar.
  3. Heat the sugar and water over medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon only enough to get the bits to melt evenly, no more. Watch carefully and be very careful as sugar heats to a much higher temperature than water or other liquids and can burn badly.
  4. At the point where the caramel turns dark amber and just begins to smoke, remove the pan from the heat.
  5. Place the butter cubes carefully into the pan and whisk until melted, being careful not to splatter.
  6. Gradually whisk in the cream, stirring until the caramel is smooth. If there are bits of sugar or caramel that refuse to melt, warm the pan on low head and loosen with a wooden spoon until incorporated.
  7. Serve with a few crystals of sea salt.
Notes
  1. Keep up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
  2. If the caramel needs to be thinned, rewarm with a bit of cream or milk.
Adapted from My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz
Adapted from My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz
Sea Sky & Table https://seaskyandtable.com/