Love and Creme Brulee

As I have already told you, Valentine's Day was almost entirely planned for us by my three year old daughter.  After telling you that, I felt I really should show you some pictures of the adorable table settings she arranged before digging in to the sweet stuff!

Isn't she adorable??

And as an added bonus, you can see my special dinner.  Pork loin rolled in herbs and wrapped in bacon....Thank you dear cousin!!

Don't blink, its the last time you'll see me make something so decadent (or good!) cooking-wise. . . As they say, you are either a cook or a baker.  And as you can probably guess, I am the latter. :)

Ok, now onto the sweet stuff.  My husband's favorite dessert is creme brulee.  He was introduced to it merely 2 years ago and I think he's been begging me since then to try making it.  I figured, what better time to try it then Valentine's Day?  So I went to Bed Bath and Beyond and picked up their Creme Brulee set, looked up an online recipe, and went to town!

To begin you take 8 egg yolks and beat them, then add 1/2 C of sugar and mix them until they are well combined.

Then take 2 Cups of heavy cream and heat it to right below simmering.  Once heated, add 1/4 Cup of the cream, (1 tablespoon at a time) to the egg mix.  You don't want to heat the eggs up too quickly as they will cook prematurely.  This process is referred to as "tempering".

Once you temper in 1/4 cup of cream, you can add the remaining cream to the eggs.  You then add the 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla to the mixture.

Then strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, before pouring it into the ramekins.  This creates a really smooth custard.

Now boil about 4 cups of water.  You'll need that in a minute.  While you're at it, preheat the oven to 250.  There, I'll stop being demanding now. 

Now to pour the mixture into the ramekins.  I started by filling the 4 - 3oz ramekins first since that is what came with the kit.  However, I was very glad I had picked up two much larger 8oz ramekins for overflow, since there was plenty of it.  I would suggest getting more of the 3oz ramekins rather than having overflow into larger ramekins.  The end result of the large ones seems to be a little too much custard.

Next place the ramekins in a deeper 9x13 pan, and pour in the boiling water around them until the water rests half-way up the side of the ramekin.

Then insert them into the oven, and bake for about 50 minutes.  After 50 minutes, take rubber-tipped tongs and remove one of the ramekins, slightly shaking it.  If the inner portion of the custard still jiggles while the outside is firm, they are done.  If they do not jiggle at all, but are firm all the way through, they are slightly overdone but don't worry, they are still delicious!!  If they are not quite done, cook them at 10 minute intervals until they are finished.

Remove them from the oven, and put them on a wire cookie rack to cool.  Allow them to cool to room temperature before placing them in the refrigerator.  

At this point, the recipe states that you should leave the custard in the refrigerator overnight.  Since I completely missed that when I read the instructions the first time and wanted them done more quickly, I took the two we were going to eat that evening and refrigerated them for two hours.  I left the remaining brulees to cool overnight with the intention of trying them the following day to see if the time elapsed made any difference. 

In the meantime, lets continue on with the brulees which were only refrigerated for only two hours.  Remove the two brulees from the refrigerator and cover the tops with approximately 1 tsp of regular refined white sugar.  Light your torch, and hold it so the flame is almost parallel to the top of the dessert, then angle it slightly towards the sugary top and allow the sugar to begin to caramelize.  How fast/slow the sugar melts and begins to look like caramel is dependent upon how close the flame is, and how fast you move the flame over the sugar.  After the first one, you sort of get a feel for it.

And wha-la!  Beautiful and impressive desserts!

They were delicious!

The following evening, I removed one of the remaining brulees from the refrigerator (an 8 oz version) and decided to try a different sugar on the top.  I added approximately 1 tablespoon of turbinado sugar, gently spreading it evenly over the top of the custard, and grabbed my blow torch.

I know, I know, its a culinary torch . . . but blow torch sounds soo much cooler.

I probably should have mentioned this earlier but I am somewhat of a pyro.  Turning on the torch brought back memories of flaming marshmallows and campfires, burning sticks while it dwindled . . . and I had to snap myself out of my fiery trance and return to the task at hand.

Forgive the blurry picture, but I have to say its hard to take a picture with one hand and torch evenly with the other.  I was not as impressed with the turbinado sugar as far as taste, but I have to admit it caramelized much more quickly than the refined white sugar.  The custard taste was pretty much the same as the night before, so I would say its probably safe to only refrigerate the custard for two hours rather than overnight.  At least for this recipe.

All in all, this was by far not the most delicious creme brulee I had tasted, but a very good home equivalent.  I have a few ideas for remedying that in the future but for now, I will say if you like the dessert, this is an easy home equivalent! 

Recipe again courtesy of Michael Chu.

Creme Brulee

8 egg yolks 1/2 cup sugar 2 cups heavy cream 1/2 tsp vanilla 10 tsp sugar

1	Pour the sugar into the egg yolks.
2	Beat the yolks and sugar until smooth.
3	Heat the heavy cream until almost simmering (you can bring to a simmer and let it cool a minute).
4	Add heavy cream to the egg yolks one tablespoon at a time while stirring vigorously until 1/4 cup of the heavy cream has been added.
5	Add the remaining cream to the mixture.
6	Add in 1/2 tsp of vanilla and stir.
7	Pour custard through a fine mesh sieve.
8	Pour the strained mixture into 8 -10 3-oz ramekins.
9	Place the ramekins in a baking pan. Pour boiling water into the pan (be careful not to get water into the ramekins), so that the water level is halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
10	Place in an oven preheated to 250°F for about one hour.
11	After 50 minutes, check to see if the custards are done. We want them to be set on the outside edge, but jiggly (like jello) at the center. The easiest way to do this is to take a pair of tongs with food grade rubber bands wrapped around the ends to help grip the ramekins. Pick up a ramekin and shake to see if the centers jiggle. If only the center jiggles a little, it's done. If the whole thing is set, remove immediately - it'll be a little over done, but still delicious. If it's not done, just put it back in the water bath and check again in ten minutes.
12	nce the custards are done, let them cool on a cooling rack to room temperature.
13	Refrigerate custards for two hours.
14	Remove the custard and spread 1 tsp of sugar over each custard.
15	Light your torch, and hold it so the flame is almost parallel to the top of the dessert, then angle it slightly towards the sugary top and allow the sugar to caramelize.

Servings: 10

Degree of Difficulty

Degree of Difficulty: Moderately difficult

Cooking Times

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Inactive Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 3 hours and 30 minutes

Nutrition Facts

Serving size: 1/10 of a recipe (1.8 ounces). Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving Calories 180.78 Calories From Fat (61%) 109.6 % Daily Value Total Fat 12.37g 19% Saturated Fat 6.77g 34% Cholesterol 176.83mg 59% Sodium 15.62mg <1% Potassium 33mg <1% Total Carbohydrates 15.37g 5% Fiber 0g 0% Sugar 14.3g Protein 2.6g 5%

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cravings

A few nights ago, at about 9:30 pm, my husband decided he wanted warm chocolate chip cookies.  After throwing a lot of flattering comments at me about how wonderful a baker I am (clearly an attempt to get his way), I got off the couch and made him cookies.  Because, when it comes to baking, I am a sucker for whatever he or my daughter may want. 

Okay, fine.  I'm a sucker for whatever they might want, baking or not.  Sue me. :)

But the request got me thinking . . . what sweet item do you crave?  What is it that can make you get up off the couch at 9:30 at night and whip up a batch, or run to the nearest bakery at 5:00 am to pick up their freshest version?  What is that one sweet that enters your mind occasionally and refuses to leave until satisfied?

I ask for three reasons.  One:  I would really like to better know my readers and what they want to hear. Two:  I would LOVE to hear more ideas of recipes I can research to transform them into any of the following:  gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, nutt-free, or vegan.  

And three . . . because I wanted to tell you my secret addiction.  Warm chocolate.  Brownies specifically. :)  Warm chocolate is simply in a whole different league than just a chocolate bar . . . 

So, start talking!!  What is it that YOU crave?

Valentines Day!

As I'm sure you are all well aware, a very sweet holiday is arriving on Monday of this week.  Everywhere I look lately I see hearts and candy.  Lots of candy.  My wide-eyed daughter saw it too and requested that we make three very specific things for her Daddy for Valentines day (which I'm sure is only slightly selfish in nature):  Lollipops, cookies, and heart-shaped chocolates.  And seeing as I got a candy thermometer and a linzer cookie cut out set for Christmas/Birthday from my ever-supportive mom . . . I said sure!!

So I picked the most interesting of the three to show you . . . lollipops.  I have never made hard candy before because it always looked so difficult.  It turns out that its actually not as bad as it looks.  And its gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, and nutt-free.  Now if only it was sugar-free and low-calorie it might be the perfect dessert. :)

Its a short shopping list for lollipops.

Hard Candy Molds
Lollipop sticks
2/3 C Light Corn Syrup (Not pictured)
2 C Sugar
3/4 C Water
1/4 tsp Food Coloring (gel or liquid)
Flavoring Oil - One Dram (LorAnn is a premium retailer)
Spray Vegetable Oil
Candy Thermometer
Small Saucepan (I suggest a 3 or 4 quart)

You begin by lightly oiling the candy molds.  Depending on the size of the molds, you will need several.  The bigger mold pictured you would need at least five, the smaller mold I would say closer to seven.  Since I wasn't sure how much the batch would make, I had four molds (two of each) and a greased cookie sheet.

Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup.  Stir it over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.  Once its dissolved, bring the mixture to a boil without stirring it by raising the heat.  At this point I would insert the thermometer and clip it to the side of the pan.  The bulb of the thermometer should be submerged in liquid but not touching the bottom of the pan.  

When the temperature on the thermometer reaches 260 degrees, add the food coloring.  Allow the natural boiling of the liquid to disperse the color for you.  

Allow it to continue to boil until 300 degrees and immediately remove it from the heat as the candy temperature will continue to rise while it is still boiling.  Wait until the liquid is no longer boiling, then add the flavoring oil and stir.  

Pour the liquid into the greased molds and/or onto the greased cookie sheet.  In the case of the cookie sheet, score marks for easier breaking later on.  I need some practice to make sure its the correct amount of liquid, but overall this step is fairly self-explanatory.  Put the lollipop sticks in the molds before or after pouring, it didn't seem to have too much of a different outcome.

After 30 minutes to an hour the molds/sheet should be cool enough to remove the candies.  And wha-la!  Lollipops!

And for an added bonus, cover them in little bags and use decorative twist-ties or ribbon to tie them closed.  

My daughter has already eaten two and given many to friends.  What a great gift idea!!

And just for pictures and a few more ideas . . .

Molded Chocolate Candies . . . 

Linzer Cookies (Well actually, sugar cookies with buttercream frosting)

And if you need more ideas check out Bakerella's site and the Pioneer Woman.  That should be enough for you to get the creative juices flowing, right?? :)

Happy Baking!!

Hard Candy / Lollipop

2 cups sugar 2/3 cup light corn syrup 3/4 cup water 1/4 tsp food coloring 1 tsp flavoring

1 Lightly oil hard candy molds (vegetable oil). 2 In a large saucepan, mix together sugar, corn syrup and water. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. 3 Bring mixture to a boil without stirring. 4 When syrup temperature reaches 260o F, add color. Do not stir; boiling action will incorporate color into syrup. 5 Remove from heat at 300 degrees or when drops of syrup form hard brittle threads in cold water. (Temperature will continue to rise after removing from heat, so remove precisely at 300 degrees). 6 After boiling action ceases, add flavoring and stir. USE CAUTION WHEN ADDING FLAVORING TO AVOID RISING STEAM. 7 Pour into lightly oiled candy molds (not chocolate molds), or onto greased cookie sheet and score to mark squares. 8 When cool, unmold or break into pieces. You can also dust with powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Store in airtight containers.

Servings: 24

Degree of Difficulty Degree of Difficulty: Difficult

Nutrition Facts Serving size: 1/24 of a recipe (1.2 ounces). Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients. One of the recipe's ingredients was not linked. This ingredient is not included in the recipe nutrition data. Amount Per Serving Calories 92.96 Calories From Fat (2%) 1.83 % Daily Value Total Fat 0.21g <1% Saturated Fat 0.03g <1% Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 6.26mg <1% Potassium 0.5mg <1% Total Carbohydrates 23.94g 8% Fiber 0g 0% Sugar 19.17g Protein 0g 0%

Snow Day - Baking Day

Last week my three-year old daughter came up to me and asked if we could bake something.  After I spent a few seconds attempting to control my excitement over having a daughter that likes to bake, I answered  a resounding, "YES!"

We went into the kitchen and decided to make one of my favorite recipes, "Muffins that Taste Like Donuts" or as I like to call them "Cinnamon Donut Muffins".  I was able to sneak in a few pictures in between cleaning up the flying flour and thought I would share the recipe with you.

You start by combining the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.  You then set that aside and in another bowl, combine the oil, milk, egg and sugar.  Stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Take the wet ingredients and add them to the dry ingredients - but only stir them enough to combine them.  If you stir them too much, they just don't taste the same.  Then, using an ice cream scoop to regulate the muffin size ( I love mine!) scoop the mixture into your muffin tin.  Which my daughter helped me with . . .

Pretty good job for a three year old huh? 

At this point she became totally disinterested and ran out of the room . . . and so I got some more pictures . . . muah ha ha. :)

So I melted 1/4 pound of butter . . . 

And mixed together 1/3 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon . . . 

And savored the amazing aroma while I waited the remainder of the 20 minutes for the muffins to come out of the oven.

Now comes the best part.  I took the muffins out the pan and dipped them first in the butter . . . 

. . . and then in the cinnamon.

making sure completely cover the top with cinnamon sugar goodness.  Is your mouth watering yet?  No?  Then let me elaborate . . . 

They aren't as low in sugar as most of my treats, but they do taste like those donuts you get at a cider mill that are covered in cinnamon sugar . . .for only two carbs.  So for those of you who are on the low-carb diet and would like to occasionally enjoy one of those snacks that simply reminds you of fall weekends apple picking in New England . . . these are for you!!  

And if you are wondering if they taste as good as they look, let me assure you with a simple fact . . . all eleven were gone by noon the following day and I didn't eat a single one! :)

I hope you have as much fun making them as I did.  Adding a cute, baking three year old to the recipe certainly helps!!

Happy Baking!!

Cinnamon "Doughnut" Muffins

1 3/4 Cup Flour 1 1/2 tsp Baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/3 cup oil 3/4 cup white sugar 1 egg 3/4 cup milk Topping 1/4 cup butter 1/3 cup white sugar 1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. 2 Combine oil, sugar, egg and milk. Add dry ingredients and stir only to combine. 3 Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a bowl. Combine the white sugar with the cinnamon in another bowl. 4 Shake muffins out while still hot. Dip muffins in butter, then into the sugar/cinnamon mix. Let cool.

Servings: 12

Cooking Times Preparation Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Nutrition Facts Serving size: 1/12 of a recipe (2.4 ounces). Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients. Amount Per Serving Calories 239.42 Calories From Fat (40%) 94.89 % Daily Value Total Fat 10.76g 17% Saturated Fat 3.63g 18% Cholesterol 26.89mg 9% Sodium 172.21mg 7% Potassium 51.89mg 1% Total Carbohydrates 33.54g 11% Fiber 0.92g 4% Sugar 18.9g Protein 2.99g 6%