2009 April 07 | dinner with Julie

Archive for April 7th, 2009

Crème Brulégg

Yes, I did. I went ahead and made Crème Brulégg just because I saw it on foodgawker and thought it was cool. How could I not? “If your friends jumped off a bridge would you do it too?” comes to mind. It’s just about as sweet as it sounds. (Crème Brulée with a Cadbury’s Easter Creme Egg nestled inside before baking.) Maybe even more.

But it is fun. If you’re having folks over for dinner, it makes a good conversation piece. Or you could buy a whole bunch of Easter Creme Eggs and melt them down into fondue. Maybe do that the week after Easter, when they are all 75% off, and don’t tell anyone what you did.

For actual dinner – I’m not sure why, but after hardly any sleep, three coffees and the better part of a Crème Brulégg, I felt like I might regurgitate an Easter bunny. W received the bowl of oatmeal (into which I grated the remains of a half-eaten pear) he requested. I ate some granola and yogurt and cheese. Not sure what Mike ate – likely some leftover lamb and potatoes.

Crème Brulégg

5 large egg yolks
6 Tbsp. sugar
2 cups heavy (whipping) cream or 18% coffee cream
1/2 tsp. good-quality vanilla (I used Madagascar vanilla bean paste, in which you can see the teeny seeds from the vanilla pod)
sugar, for sprinkling on top

4-6 Cadbury’s Easter Creme Eggs

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk in the cream and vanilla.

Divide among 4-6 small ramekins, and nestle an Easter creme egg in each. Place in a roasting pan or 9″x13″ pan, fill with water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins, and bake at 325F for 30-45 minutes, or until set but still slightly jiggly. Take them out, let them cool and then refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, until nice and cold.

Sprinkle an even layer of sugar over each dish and caramelize with a torch or transfer to a cookie sheet and place under the broiler in the oven for about 2 minutes, just until the sugar is caramelized and golden. Turn the sheet around if you need to to help them caramelize evenly. Refrigerate again, or just let them sit on the countertop while you eat dinner or make coffee, just until the sugar is set and crackly.

Serves 6.

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