Crème Brûlée
#11
  Re: (...)
I finally did it! It was ALMOST perfect! I had to use the broiler, or I would have taken a picture. I only fixed one of the four...the other three will await my torch. I KNOW there has GOT to be a difference! The browning was uneven and not nearly as crisp as I would expect. (I decided tonight, after fixing such a delicate dish, my oven needs to be calibrated. The initial baking of the Crème Brûlée was not getting close to done after 25 minutes, so I jacked the heat to 325 for another 10 minutes.) ANYWAY, the flavor....HEAVEN!

Yesterday, when I mentioned my impending experiment and regret that I didn't have a torch to make it as it should be done, William blithely informed me that he had a torch somewhere. He THINKS it's in the greenhouse. (Something I was not aware of until yesterday....ARGGG!) He RARELY uses it. When I said I wanted to use it for my Crème Brûlée, he said it was out of gas, and it would be silly to "waste" 6 bucks to get a canister for a dessert dish. (I had unfortunately told him I had read you could do it under the broiler, so I figured "Why not?".....NOT!)

I'll be getting a canister tomorrow and hide the thing when I finish with it! It's MINE now! They don't use it! He can't even remember the last time he used it! Why didn't I know about this? I could have and WOULD have used the thing BUNCHES in the past year...roasting veggies just to name ONE! ARGGG! MEN!

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now. Oh and if you missed it, the Crème Brûlée was absolutely divine in flavor...Thanks for the recipe, Jean! And I can't wait to get the FULL experience tomorrow. I can't believe how easy it was! And it wouldn't have been possible without the help of my BESTEST Secret Santa, Shannon/Dismc! Thanks again, Santa, I mean Shannon! I'm LOVIN' my vanilla beans! (AND the salts!)
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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#12
  Re: Crème Brûlée by Gourmet_Mom (I finally did it! I...)
Isn't the aroma just heavenly, Daphne? Mister makes the crème brûlée here although he can't eat just one tiny ramekin. Get the torch!!!
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#13
  Re: Re: Crème Brûlée by (Isn't the aroma just...)
Oh, you can bet I'll be hunting that thing down tomorrow and buying a canister for my other three ramekins! I know WHY he can't get by on just ONE! It's all I can do to wait until tommorow! If William was here to try it, he'd be digging the thing out right now! I can't wait for him to try it!

If I can't find it...I'm buying one! I've been wanting one forever! But I have always managed to "get by" until now...NO MORE!
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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#14
  Re: Crème Brûlée by Gourmet_Mom (I finally did it! I...)
Daphne, we love creme brulee too. I must say, those particular vanilla beans are sp plump and flavorful. Glad you are enjoying them so much.
Shannon
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#15
  Re: Re: Crème Brûlée by Dismc (Daphne, we love crem...)
Ya' know, you hear people talk about things, but until you try it yourself, you don't realize. This is one of those things I have rarely heard about, but always wanted to try. I didn't have any idea! YUM! One of Mom's best friends is always talking about Crème Brûlée, but since we had never encountered it, or had it, we just "chalked" it up to one of her "quirks"...I could go on and on about THOSE...LOL!

I'll be checking out the Costco in Wilmington now! It's fairly new, so we "old Sam's Club members" just figured it wasn't worth it. I'll check Sam's first, but if I can get similar deals on meat and cheese at Costco, AND the vanilla beans, I'm ditching Sam's for Costco! (It was the Costco comment in an older thread that clicked, BTW! But I was never completely sure until the final reveal. )
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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#16
  Re: Re: Crème Brûlée by Gourmet_Mom (Ya' know, you hear p...)
Any time you see the Kirkland brand, that's Costco. My brother told me this Christmas how good the Kirkland wines are, so we bought Kirkland 2007 (I think) Cabernet Sauvignon for our New Year's eve dinner ($12.99) and we both thought it was delicious. Our son brought home wines for Christmas (much more expensive) and they were wonderful, but the Kirkland wine was great too. Can't usually go wrong with Costco.
Shannon
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#17
  Re: Re: Crème Brûlée by Gourmet_Mom (Ya' know, you hear p...)
Oh, another thing. Now that I've got 6 egg whites in a freezer bag, (I can't wait for somebody to ask about that, LOL!) what should I do with them? I make a darn good meringue for a FABULOUS chocolate pie. (Recipe to be found in A Chef's Journey...Home , BTW. )

Can they be used for meringue after frozen? I surely don't need any more calories in the next few weeks, but I don't want to waste them. How do I thaw them safely? I NEVER make meringue unless my eggs are room temp.

Other ideas for using them are certainly welcome. Just remember they are packaged together. I'll work on storing stuff like this individually another time. I think I did good to save the things...LOL!
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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#18
  Re: Re: Crème Brûlée by Gourmet_Mom (Oh, another thing. ...)
You could make my favorite dessert, Pavlova. So easy and you can use any combo of fresh fruits. I always drizzle with a little homemade chocolate sauce. Might have to make it this week, now that you've reminded me of it.

Pavlova

Serves 6 to 8

The Base;

4 LARGE EGGS (LET THE EGGS SIT OUT FOR 30 MINUTES BEFORE YOU BEGIN)
1 CUP WHITE SUGAR
1 TSP WHITE VINEGAR
1/2 T CORNSTARCH

On top:

1 cup heavy cream, whipped with one T of powdered sugar and 1 t of vanilla
Various Fruits: kiwi, strawberry, blackberries, raspberries, currant bananas pineapple, etc. You'll need 1/2 to 1 cup of each fruit. Choose 4 or 5.


Sauce for drizzling: I use chocolate sauce from Hershey's cookbook.

To make the meringue:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Make sure you have a very clean bowl and beaters.

Place egg whites in clean bowl. Begin beating them at medium speed. When they have soft peak you can begin to slowly add your sugar. Just put in about a tablespoon at a time. Add a bit more and continue beating. You want your egg whites to continue to rise. As you are adding the sugar you can turn your mixer to high. You want very high peaks and a shiny surface when you are finished. When you add the las of the sugar beat just a few seconds more so your sugar dissolves. This process is probably going to take you about 5 minutes total. You want a fluffy, smooth batter. Turn mixer off and clean the beater to get all of the meringue in the bowl.

Add your vinegar sprinkled on top along with the cornstarch. Fold this in by hand with a spatula.

Cover a cookie sheet with a sheet of parchment

Spread the meringue in the middle and mound it. You want a circle of meringue that is 7 to 9 inches across. The meringue will be standing rather high. Even 4 to 6 inches high. Now make a dent in the middle where your whipped cream will sit later. So just take a spoon and lightly dip the middle of the meringue down about a inch from the fluffy edges. I like my meringue to have peaks around the edges and you can sort of manipulate that effect with your spoon too.

Bake the meringue for 1 hour and 15 minutes. You are watching for a beige crust to form around the sides and top. Do not open oven until the time is up. Now open the oven. Turn the oven off and LEAVE the meringue inside the oven with the door open to cool completely.

After the meringue is cooled, you can set it on a cake plate or stand until you are ready for final assembly and serving. Getting it off the parchment paper can be tricky. Just gently slide a spatula underneath and work it around until you have the whole thing loosened. Then gently lift it off and take it immediately to the top of the cake plate As the meringue continues to cool, don't get worked up if it cracks some. You'll be covering that up with whipping cream and cracks are part of the charm

Leave uncovered and be sure to serve it the same day.

Final Assembly

Whip your cream and sweeten it. The whipped cream will sit on top of the meringue with an edge of meringue under it so the whipped cream doesn't slide off. That's why you make the dent in the middle before cooking.

Now mound your fruit on top and around the edged of the whipped cream. the cream will hold them in place.

Drizzle with sauce and present to guests. Slice to serve.
Shannon
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#19
  Re: Re: Crème Brûlée by Gourmet_Mom (Oh, another thing. ...)
Thanks for the heads up, Shannon. I'll watch for that brand, for sure. Those vanilla beans are GREAT! I still can't get over the smell...HEAVENLY! Thank you again for sharing the experience. I feel silly for not ordering some before. I think the lack of experience and knowledge of a quality product kept me from doing so before. Now that I have a "brand" to go by, I'll be more inclined. You don't know...this has opened up a whole new experience for me.

I've got vanilla extract "brewing", vanilla sugar, and now the Crème Brûlée! I can't wait to play more! Next up...Kahlua...my Achilles’ heel! I'm just waiting for a bonus to get the GOOD vodka for that one! I'm guessing, unlike the extract, the better the vodka, the better the Kahlua! PLEASE feel free to correct me on that somebody. That would be GREAT news!
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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#20
  Re: Re: Crème Brûlée by Gourmet_Mom (Thanks for the heads...)
OH MY! I think that's Valentine's dessert! Will my egg whites last that long? Oh, this sounds sooo good! I've heard you talk about this before, but never imagined myself with that many egg whites to spare...LOL! Now TWO desserts to die for!

I had thought about waiting until Valentine's Day, but I'm not sure about the "freezer life" of the egg whites. PLUS, now that I think about it, I think I'm I might need to do a trial run. How long will these things last in the freezer?

William's gonna KILL ME!
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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