Description
This "spiced orange" version of the basic crème brûlée is great for the chilly season. During the spring and summer omit the orange reduction and add fresh fruits on top of the finished dessert. If you want to get really creative try steeping fresh herbs with the simmering cream, then strain before adding to the egg.
Instructions
For the Ganache
Ratio: 1:1 by weight
- Heat cream. Pour over chocolate. Stir until fully incorporate.
- Fill the ramekins about 1/2" full with ganache (or as much as you like!) and let set in the refrigerator.
For the Crème Brûlée:
Ratio: 1-1-5 (Yolks-Sweetener-Cream by weight)
- Bring cream to a simmer (careful that it doesn't boil over!). If you'd like, add something to steep in the cream, like vanilla beans or fresh herbs.
- Mix eggs and sweetener fully. Don't whip air into the mixture or you'll have baked froth on your creme brulee.
- “Temper” cream into eggs. This is where you slowly pour the hot cream into the eggs while mixing constantly.
- Pour custard mix into ramekins and bake at about 350° in a water bath until set. Cool at room temp for about an hour and then refrigerate. You can make these up to two days in advance.
- “Burn” the top with sugar before serving.
Notes
If you'd like to give the orange reduction a try just add the following ingredients into a small saucepot and simmer gently until the mixture thickens up. This can take up to an hour or more. You'll end up with about 10% as much liquid as you started with.
OJ - 1 quart
Star Anise - 1 pod
Cloves - 2
Juniper Berries - 2
Cinnamon Stick, crushed - 1
Strain the mix through a fine mesh strainer. You can add this to the crème brûlée mix just before pouring it into the ramekins.
Ganache:
Crème Brûlée:
