CHAMBORD CRÈME BRÛLÈE
Chef Jeremy Manley “San Diego’s Sustainable Chef”, executive chef and owner of Jeremy’s on the Hill California Style Bistro, in Julian, shares how to make his Chambord Crème Brûlée recipe on Big Blend Radio.
Well worth the cooking challenge, this decadent dessert recipe from Chef Jeremy Manley is the ultimate taste of romance! Known as “San Diego’s Sustainable Chef”, Jeremy is the executive chef and owner of Jeremy’s on the Hill California Style Bistro in Wynola, California, the “Gateway to Julian”, San Diego’s popular mountain destination.
Ingredients
3 cups heavy cream or half-and-half
2 ounces of Chambord liqueur
½ cup of granulated sugar
3 eggs whole
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla
Tools
A large glass or metal bowl
A pitcher with a pour spout
6- 6 ounce ramekins
9 x 12 baking pan with handles
Small acetylene torch
300 degree pre-heated oven
Directions
Combine the cream (or half-and-half), Chambord and sugar, and simmer gently over a very low flame — just until the sugar is fully incorporated and steam begins to rise. The trick here is to not actually cook the ingredients, but to just dissolve the sugar and create a more thorough mixture.
While your mixture is on the stove, combine the eggs and egg yolks with the vanilla in your large metal or glass bowl. Whisk until well blended. Then begin to slowly blend the two mixtures together. Add the cream mixture a little at a time and keep that whisk going! If you do this too fast, you will get curdled eggs.
Now pour the mixture from the bowl into the pitcher with a spout. The spout is great for an even disbursement of your mixture into the ramekins. Pour the mixture into your ramekins, in equal amounts. Then place your ramekins in the pan. Rinse the pitcher you used and carefully pour about 2 cups of water into the pan. This should be just enough water that it comes half-way up the sides of the ramekins. The water keeps the mixture from dehydrating and curdling. Be careful not to splash the water into your treats and don’t let it slosh about too much as you place it in the oven.
Bake at 300 degrees for about 25 minutes. You should be looking to see that the mixture is beginning to solidify, but is still slightly jiggly.
When finished baking, remove from the water very carefully and allow to cool for 15 minutes. If you are saving them for later you can put them in the refrigerator and either bring them to room temperature or finish them cold, depending on your taste.
When ready, sprinkle one tablespoon of sugar over the mix and caramelize with your torch. If you want extra crunchy, use the torch for longer and add sugar in-between to make layers of crunch. To keep from burning, use more sugar in the beginning and spritz the sugar with a little water before firing. Let the caramelized top cool before eating—melted sugar gets really, really hot!
A note with the torch: Make sure that the surface you are using is non-flammable and will not melt.
For more of Chef Jeremy Manley’s recipes and cooking videos, visit www.JeremysontheHill.com.
