My favorite crème brûlée is a very pain one, with just half a teaspoon of vanilla extract added. After that, it’s crème brûlée scented with orange, like this one right here. Like an English pudding, crème brûlée somehow manages to pull off a sense of grandeur while still being an incredibly simple thing to prepare. […]
READ ONSorry for that, all of you who were waiting for crème brûlée photos on Friday, but it turned out to be one of those sorts of work days: swamped. I’ll have’em up shortly!
READ ONWhich is a water bath to all of us regular people. A water bath is the classic way to prevent custards from curdling (or “breaking”) because it keeps the temperature of the cooking custard at a constant low. How so? For one because liquid water —unless it’s at a rollicking boil — doesn’t get above […]
READ ONI break from the early makers of crème brûlée in that I prefer a very smooth, silky texture without any “bits” in it. I also like a simple, clean appearance that’s free of any flecks of this or that. The trouble is, it’s those bits and flecks that add flavor to this chilly custard dessert. […]
READ ONReader Maria writes in with this: I have a question about freezing yeasted bread dough. Is it ok to do, and if so, at what stage in the process should I put it in the freezer? I’ve been told a variety of things and it seems to me like it would make the most sense […]
READ ONWhat are you kidding me? Other than making crème brûlée you mean? If you dig pastry, lots of things. You can makes s’mores without a campfire, for one. A blowtorch can turn a humble split banana and a sprinkling of brown sugar into a gourmet platform for homemade ice cream. It’s also handy for toasting […]
READ ONWe live in an age of culinary overkill. Our waffles come stacked to the moon with toppings. Our tacos are stuffed with burritos stuffed with nachos. As exhausted as we get by our own over-abundance, it’s easy to get lulled into the assumption that every food that came before our time was by definition a […]
READ ONWhen it comes to a combination of utility and cost, I can’t think of many kitchen gadgets to rival the blowtorch. And it feels darn good to buy one. I find that the manly satisfaction of a few minutes in the plumbing aisle looking over propane tanks and igniters offsets months of trips to the […]
READ ONReader Gerhard writes from Vienna to challenge me with this: Tell us how to do a proper crème brûlée the old fashioned style… without using a torch to melt the sugar on top (anyone can do that, but who can do a classic crème brûlée?) What Gerhard is referring to — I believe — is […]
READ ONThere’s a lot of tittering going on in elite pastry circles about crème brûlée these days. Just like molten chocolate cake, it’s an item most restaurants put on their menus solely out of obligation — something for country rubes and tourists who want to feel sophisticated dining in the big city. Right this very minute […]
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