Ready for Dessert (24 page)

Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).

To finish the custard, reheat the milk mixture until it’s quite warm. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks, then gradually whisk the warm milk into the eggs, whisking constantly as you pour to prevent the eggs from cooking (don’t whisk too vigorously, which will create air bubbles). Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer into a large measuring cup or pitcher.

Divide the custard mixture evenly among the caramel-lined ramekins. Fill the roasting pan or baking dish with warm water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the perimeters of the custards are just set and the centers are still slightly jiggly, 25 to 35 minutes.

Transfer the custards from the water bath to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled.

To unmold, run a sharp knife around the inside of each ramekin to loosen the custard, invert a serving plate or bowl over the ramekin, and turn them over together. Shake a few times to release the custard, then lift off the ramekin. (If the custard is stubborn, using a finger, gently pull it away from the side of the ramekin and invert again; it should slide out easily.) Pour any caramel remaining in the ramekin over the flan.

Serve the flans cold.

STORAGE:
The baked custards will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

VARIATION:
Surround the custards with poached dried fruit of your choosing. To make the poaching syrup: In a saucepan, heat 1 part honey or sugar to 4 parts water along with 1 cinnamon stick or 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise. Once the syrup is warm, drop in pitted prunes; raisins; dried apricots, figs, cranberries, or cherries; or any combination of dried fruits. Simmer gently until the fruits are plump and soft.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

Some people might consider it overkill to mix caramelized sugar with the lush flavor of butterscotch. But since the beauty of being an adult is that we can do pretty much as we please, I don’t feel the need to apologize for mixing the two in one cool custard. If you want to ramp up the flavor of the butterscotch custard with even more flavorful molasses notes than dark brown sugar can supply, try using one of the unrefined brown or cane sugars that can be found in natural food stores. Look for ones that are dark and ruddy, since they tend to have the most flavor.

CARAMEL

¼ cup (60 ml) plus ¼ cup (60 ml) water

¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar

Pinch of cream of tartar or a few drops of lemon juice

CUSTARD

3 cups (750 ml) whole milk

4 large eggs

4 large egg yolks

1¼ cups (275 g) packed dark brown sugar

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Big pinch of salt

Set eight 4- to 6-ounce (125- to 180-ml) ramekins or custard cups in a roasting pan or deep baking dish.

To make the caramel, spread the ¾ cup (150 g) sugar in an even layer in a medium heavy-bottomed skillet or saucepan. Pour ¼ cup (60 ml) water evenly over the sugar to dampen it, but don’t stir. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then add the cream of tartar or lemon juice. Continue to cook without stirring, but swirl the pan if the sugar begins to brown unevenly. When the caramel turns dark amber in color and begins to foam a bit, remove from the heat and immediately add the remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) water. The caramel will bubble up vigorously, then the bubbling will subside. Stir with a heatproof utensil until any hardened bits of caramel completely dissolve. Divide the hot caramel evenly among the 8 ramekins, then carefully swirl each ramekin so that the caramel coats the sides halfway up. Let cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).

To make the custard, in a medium saucepan, heat the milk until warm. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks. Gradually whisk the warm milk into the eggs, whisking constantly as you pour to prevent the eggs from cooking. Add the brown sugar, vanilla, and salt and whisk until the sugar completely dissolves. Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer into a large measuring cup or pitcher.

Divide the custard mixture evenly among the caramel-lined ramekins. Fill the roasting pan or baking dish with warm water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the perimeters of the custards are just set and the centers are still slightly jiggly, 25 to 35 minutes.

Transfer the custards from the water bath to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled.

To unmold, run a sharp knife around the inside of each ramekin to loosen the custard, invert a serving plate or bowl over the ramekin, and turn them over together. Shake a few times to release the custard, then lift off the ramekin. (If the custard is stubborn, using a finger, gently pull it away from the side of the ramekin and invert again; it should slide out easily.) Pour any caramel remaining in the ramekin over the flan.

Serve the flans cold.

SERVING:
I like these custards all by themselves, but I welcome
Mexican Wedding Cookies
served alongside.

STORAGE:
The baked flans will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

VARIATION:
Experiment with different kinds of sugar in the custard, such as Mexican
piloncillo,
Asian palm sugar, and dark turbinado or
cassonade
(see
Resources
).

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

When I worked as a pastry chef, I became known as “the crème brûlée bully” because I decided one night that I had had enough of crème brûlée and stopped serving it altogether. The reason? It was all that was ever ordered, and everything else on my menu went ignored. I realize now that I should have been flattered that guests liked my crème brûlée so much, and I apologize to anyone who left the restaurant feeling denied their favorite dessert. As reparation, I offer this recipe for lemon-ginger crème brûlée, the most popular flavor of the many that I’ve made, and hope I’m forgiven.

3 ounces (85 g) fresh ginger, thinly sliced

3 cups (750 ml) heavy cream

½ cup (100 g) sugar, plus 12 teaspoons (60 g) for caramelizing

Grated zest of 2 lemons, preferably organic

6 large egg yolks

Pinch of salt

Put the ginger slices in a medium saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Pour off the water.

Add the cream, the ½ cup (100 g) sugar, and the lemon zest to the ginger in the saucepan. Heat the mixture until warm, then remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Set six 4- to 6-ounce (125- to 180-ml) ramekins or custard cups in a roasting pan or deep baking dish.

Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard the ginger slices from the cream mixture, add the salt, then reheat the cream until it’s quite warm. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, then gradually whisk in the warm cream, whisking constantly as you pour to prevent the eggs from cooking. Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer into a large measuring cup or pitcher.

Divide the custard mixture evenly among the ramekins. Fill the roasting pan or baking dish with warm water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the perimeters of the custards are just set and the centers are still slightly jiggly, about 30 minutes.

Transfer the custards from the water bath to a wire rack and let cool completely. Refrigerate until chilled.

Just before serving, evenly sprinkle each chilled custard with 2 teaspoons (10 g) sugar and caramelize with a kitchen torch: set the torch flame at medium and wave the tip of the flame over the sugar at close range until the sugar begins to melt. Rotate the ramekin for even caramelization, being careful not to burn yourself, until the sugar has darkened and caramelized. (If you like your crème brûlée served at room temperature, let the custards come to room temperature before caramelizing and serving.)

STORAGE:
The baked custards will keep for up to days in the refrigerator. Sprinkle them with sugar and caramelize the surfaces just before serving.

VARIATION:
You can replace 1½ cups (375 ml) of the heavy cream with half-and-half to lighten the custard, if you wish. If you don’t have a kitchen torch, caramelize ½ cup (100 g) sugar following the instructions for making dry caramel in
Caramelization Guidelines
. Pour the hot caramel over the top of each custard, swirling it very carefully to get as thin a layer of caramel as possible, then let it harden.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

A few years back, I attended a class at a French pastry school that was, of course, taught by a French chef. If you’ve not worked with French chefs before, you quickly realize that to them, there’s one way to do things—and
only
one way. Our chef, for example, insisted on doing a cold infusion for tea, letting it steep in the refrigerator overnight. To prove his point, he steeped some tea in warm cream as well so we could later compare the results.

The next day, when we had the tasting, there were muted murmurs amongst the students that we much preferred the warm infusion, but no one dared say anything to the chef. We just all nodded in agreement that the cold infusion tasted better. I still infuse tea in warm cream for custards because to me, the proof is in the pudding. Or, in this case, the crème brûlée.

3 cups (750 ml) heavy cream

6 tablespoons (90 g) sugar, plus 12 teaspoons (60 g) for caramelizing

¼ cup (15 g) loose black currant tea leaves

6 large egg yolks

In a medium saucepan, heat the cream, the 6 tablespoons (75 g) sugar, and the tea leaves until warm. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Set six 4- to 6-ounce (125- to 180-ml) ramekins or custard cups in a roasting pan or deep baking dish.

Reheat the cream until it’s quite warm. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, then gradually whisk in the warm cream, whisking constantly as you pour to prevent the eggs from cooking. Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer into a large measuring cup or pitcher.

Divide the custard mixture evenly among the ramekins. Fill the roasting pan or baking dish with warm water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the perimeters of the custards are just set and the centers are still slightly jiggly, about 30 minutes.

Transfer the custards from the water bath to a wire rack and let cool completely. Refrigerate until chilled.

Just before serving, evenly sprinkle each chilled custard with 2 teaspoons (10 g) sugar and caramelize with a kitchen torch: set the torch flame at medium and wave the tip of the flame over the sugar at close range until the sugar begins to melt. Rotate the ramekin for even caramelization, being careful not to burn yourself, until the sugar has darkened and caramelized. (If you like your crème brûlée served at room temperature, let the custards come to room temperature before caramelizing and serving.)