Cucumber-Ginger Cocktail

 

Grab a glass, it's COCKTAIL HOUR!!

 

  I'm a huge fan of cocktails that use fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs. It's funny how my tastes have changed so much the older I get. (I also think people create much higher quality drinks now-a days). With the while "mixology" thing is soaring in popularity, it's much easier to find a fabulous drink at even the most unexpected places. I remember the only "fruit" you saw in drinks was Apple Pucker....yuck!! Now, these masterful new bartenders would muddle a fresh apple with fresh thyme and lemon and add a cinnamon simple syrup. Now THAT'S an Apple Martini I might drink!

 

  While I used to be a vodka martini girl, then the rum & diet girl (still kinda that girl), I have now evolved into a gin girl. Who knew?? While gin has always been around, the only drink you really saw them in were gin & tonics, the gin fizz, or a classic gin martini. Kinda boring and never really brought out the versality of gin. Now gin is found in all sorts of interesting cocktails. One of my absolute FAVORTIE combinations is gin with fresh cucumber, lime and a spiced up ginger simple syrup. It's quick and easy to whip up and I could easilly drink a pitcher of these by myself. (But don't anybody let me!)

 

 So if you are scared of gin, this is a great way to convert yourself! You will be a gin lover like me, for sure. Bottoms up!

 

Cucumber-Ginger Cocktail (Makes 1 drink)

 

Few slices fresh cucumber (one slice aside for garnish- optional)

Wedge of fresh lime

2 oz. (or more) gin, any brand you prefer

1 oz. ginger simple syrup (recipe follows)

Club Soda

Ice

 

High-Ball Glass & Muddler

 

  Ginger Simple Syrup

  1 cup sugar

  1 cup water

  large shavings fresh ginger (about 6-7 slices)

 

 

  Assemble your ingredients

 

 

Make the simple syrup first: Add your water, sugar & ginger slices in a small sauce pan. Heat on medium heat until sugar is dissolved (about 5 minutes). Turn off heat, let cool. You can throw in a few ice cubes if you want to cool it faster to make your cocktail right away. You can strain it, if desired or leave the ginger in to fully infuse. (TIP: can be made ahead. Keep refridgerated up to 2 weeks) I like to put mine in a squeeze bottle for easy drink making!

 

 

Next, add a cube or two of ice to your glass with a few slices of cucumber. Squeeze the lime wedge and toss it in the glass. Using your muddler (or the handle of a wooden spoon works great!) Crush the cucmber and lime to break it up. Add a bit of gin if needed to help the "muddling" process.

 

The muddling process can be a bit....splashy, so you can use your hands to cover the glass as you muddle. We just want to break up the cucumber & lime a bit so when we add the liquids, those awesome flavors will distrubute throughout the entire drink giving it GREAT flavor.

 

 

Next, fill the glass to the top to ice, add your gin, simple syrup and top with club soda. You can adjust sweetness and how strong you like your drink based on your own tastes.

 

Drink up!!

 

 

Perfect Pesto

 

   As many Sundays as we can, the hubby & I take our daughter to our local farmers market. A great little walk from our house.  It's a really good market and we always have our favorite vendors we like to check out. One of our absolute favorite vendors is a local farm that grows beautiful greens & herbs. We are OBSESSED with their arugula, I've never had anything so flavorful & peppery. This week they had a huge basket of fresh basil and Chris urged me to get it. I knew why....he wanted pesto!

  Pesto is something near & dear to my heart. It is one of my favorite condiments because of it's versatility and obviously amazing flavor! This is something I do really well. I like my pesto to POP with flavor. This is what I am looking for in MY pesto. Super fresh basil flavor, a little garlicky, nuttiness, saltiness and my favorite part- a super punch of citrusy lemon. Typically when I make this recipe I eyeball it. I know exactly how I want it to taste and I don't pay attention to how much of each ingredient I add. But just for you, I paid attention to what I was doing so I can help you recreate this PERFECT pesto!

Click HERE for my delish pesto pasta recipe

 Perfect Pesto (yields about 1 cup)

2 cups loosely packed basil
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 Tbs parmigiano reggiano
2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
Zest of half a lemon
Juice from 3/4 of a lemon
1/2 cup good olive oil (Extra virgin works great here!!)
Kosher salt & pepper

 One of the most important things when making pesto is to make sure you keep that vibrant green color. Here are the easiest way to screw that up is by bruising the basil before it enters the food processor, over processing the basil in the food processor (again, bruising it), cooking it too much.

 Let's avoid all 3, shall we? Here's how we avoid the first 2:

 If you are too lazy to wash another dish (like a cheese grater), throw your chunks of parmesan cheese into the food processor and pulse until it's nicely ground.   

 

Voila. Grated cheese. 

Throw in your garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice & pine nuts (please never use already chopped garlic ever, never, ever! Not for any recipe! That should be a general rule in cooking, period.)

Give it about 10 pulses so you give it a chance to break down. The less you have to blend the basil, the better. This just gives it a head start.

 Next up, the star of the show, basil. This perfumed the entire kitchen. I love the smell of fresh basil.

 Again, I try to prevent bruising so I slice up the basil a bit before it goes in to blend.

  To prevent bruising from slicing it, I have an amazing tip: Take the knife and have it touch the cutting board with the basil ready to slice underneath it. Drag your knife down to slice the basil in a quick "scissor" type motion. Do NOT press down when cutting basil, ever. It is the easiest way to bruise it. Don't ask me why, but this "scissoring" effect work every time. You will keep it perfectly green & intact.

 So add your basil, olive oil and season with some salt & pepper to the processor. 

PULSE, don't puree. Until you have your desired smoothness. Try not to blend too much. Now taste! Mine needed a touch more salt and it was perfection!

What to do with your perfect pesto?? There are so many options! Here are a few ideas including a yummy recipe here that I made for dinner tonight with it. :)

• Use by itself for sandwiches, pasta, on meats, spread on pizza
•  Fold into mac & cheese or rice
• Toss with roasted potatoes
• Add some mayo and make a fabulous spread for sandwiches
• Add mayo and a touch of milk and you have a great dressing for pasta salad
• Add sour cream and you have a great topping for a quesadilla
• Add some warm cream and toss with pasta for a pesto cream sauce

Have some fun!

 

Perfect Pesto (yields about 1 1/2 cups)

2 cups loosely packed basil
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 Tbs parmigiano reggiano
2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
Zest of half a lemon
Juice from 3/4 of a lemon
1/2 cup good olive oil (Extra virgin works great here!!)
Kosher salt & pepper

 One of the most important things when making pesto is to make sure you keep that vibrant green color. Here are the easiest way to screw that up is by bruising the basil before it enters the food processor, over processing the basil in the food processor (again, bruising it), and cooking it too much.

 Let's avoid all 3, shall we? Here's how we avoid the first 2:

 If you are too lazy to wash another dish (like a cheese grater), throw your chunks of parmesan cheese into the food processor and pulse until it's nicely ground.   

 Throw in your garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice & pine nuts (please never use already chopped garlic ever, never, ever! Not for any recipe! That should be a general rule in cooking, period.)

 Give it about 10 pulses so you give it a chance to break down. The less you have to blend the basil, the better. This just gives it a head start.

Next up, the basil.  Again, I try to prevent bruising so I slice up the basil a bit before it goes in to blend.

  To prevent bruising from slicing it, I have an amazing tip: Take the knife and have it touch the cutting board with the basil ready to slice underneath it. Drag your knife down to slice the basil in a quick "scissor" type motion. Do NOT press down when cutting basil, ever. It is the easiest way to bruise it. Don't ask me why, but this "scissoring" effect work every time. You will keep it perfectly green & intact.

 So add your basil, olive oil and season with some salt & pepper to the processor.  PULSE, don't puree. Until you have your desired smoothness. Try not to blend too much. Now taste! Adjust seasoning as needed. Enjoy!

Angel Hair Pesto w/Spinach, Mushroom & Sweet Tomato

  I loooooooove a great plate of pasta! Where did my inspiration for this recipe come from? Some kick ass pesto I just made and the rest was what I had in my fridge. Ha ha! That's how I usually operate on these impromptu weeknight meals. The tomatoes were a last minute addition and I'm so glad I added them. When you cook those sweet little tomatoes, a few will burst from the heat and others will stay whole and burst with sweetness in your mouth. Such a delicious surprise! Mushrooms & pesto are a classic pairing and since I had an abundance of spinach in the fridge, I figured I couldn't go wrong. (Not to toot my own horn, but I usually don't)

  This is a healthy, fabulous pasta that is packed full of flavor and couldn't be simpler! I promise you won't be disappointed.

Angel Hair Pesto w/Spinach, Mushroom & Sweet Tomatoes (Serves 3-4)

1/2 lbs angel hair (half of a package)
1/2 cup (or more) my Perfect Pesto
1 cup (about 20) sweet pear tomatoes
7 large crimini mushrooms, sliced thin
2 heaping cups fresh spinach
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt & Fresh ground Pepper
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella (optional)

 Boil the water for your pasta. Add a heaping spoonful of salt to season the water.

 In a large saute pan, heat about 1 Tbs olive oil over high heat. Add your mushrooms and saute about 3-4 minutes. Season with some salt & pepper.

Add your tomatoes. The smaller the tomato, the sweeter they usually are. There are beautiful.

Saute for a few minutes to give the tomatoes a chance to warm up and blister a bit. Toss in the spinach.

 This is the perfect time to toss in your angel hair. (If you choose to use a different pasta that cooks longer, throw it in the water earlier)

 Angel hair takes about 4-5 minutes tops. I scoop out my pasta directly from pot to pan and skip draining it in the colander. Add your pesto and toss. (Man! My pesto rocks!) The second the pesto hits the heat, the garlic lights up! I toss the pesto at the end because you don't want it to turn the pesto to loose it's vibrant color and you also don't want to cook the garlic in the pesto too much. It will alter the integrity of the pesto.

I folded in a little mozzarella for some added cheesy-ness, but it's not completely necessary. It just sounded good.

Serve and enjoy!!




Angel Hair Pesto w/Spinach, Mushroom & Sweet Tomatoes (Serves 3-4)

1/2 lbs angel hair (half of a package)
1/2 cup (or more) my Perfect Pesto
1 cup (about 20) sweet pear tomatoes
7 large crimini mushrooms, sliced thin
2 heaping cups fresh spinach
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt & Fresh ground Pepper
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella (optional)

 Boil the water for your pasta. Add a heaping spoonful of salt to season the water.

 In a large saute pan, heat about 1 Tbs olive oil over high heat. Add your mushrooms and saute about 3-4 minutes. Season with some salt & pepper.
Add your tomatoes. Saute for a few minutes to give the tomatoes a chance to warm up and blister a bit. Toss in the spinach.

 This is the perfect time to toss in your angel hair. (If you choose to use a different pasta that cooks longer, throw it in the water earlier)

Angel hair takes about 4-5 minutes tops. I scoop out my pasta directly from pot to pan and skip draining it in the colander. Add your pesto and toss. (Man! My pesto rocks!) The second the pesto hits the heat, the garlic lights up! I toss the pesto at the end because you don't want it to turn the pesto to loose it's vibrant color and you also don't want to cook the garlic in the pesto too much. It will alter the integrity of the pesto.

I folded in a little mozzarella for some added cheesy-ness, but it's not completely necessary. It just sounded good. Serve & enjoy!

Pizza Duo: Sopressata, Sweet Potato & Balsamic Onion Pizza/ BBQ Chicken-Red Jalapeno Pizza

 Pizza is one of the most popular foods in the world. I don't know anyone that doesn't love it in some form or another!  I was in the mood for some non-traditional pizzas so I decided to make 2 wildly different ones here. Lots of you have already had a BBQ Chicken pizza, it's pretty common now a days. This is an easy recipe with a few added veggies and the heat of some yummy red jalapenos.

  The other pizza is probably more unique to you. It has a few fun new components that make it special. Sopressatta is a salami that is flavored with white wine & spices. It's mild and delicious. It takes on the roll of pepperoni here. The sweet potato and balsamic onions add a bit of sweet & smokiness to the pizza. It's a fun combo! Try one, try the other, try both! I'd love to hear anyone's favorite type of pizza or any wacky (yet delicious) pizza combinations out there!
e

Sopressata, Sweet Potato & Balsamic Onion Pizza (One 9-inch pizza)

1/2 sweet potato, diced
1 onion, halved, thinly sliced
1-2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
10 slices sopressata (or good salami)
1/2 cup arugula
1 Tbs fresh oregano, chopped
about 1 cup good mozzarella, shredded
1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano 
Red pepper flakes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt & Fresh ground pepper

1- 6oz pizza dough (click here for my recipe), room temperature

 Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
 In a med saute pan, heat a bit of oil on med-low heat. Add the onions and cook until slightly tender (about 8 minutes). Turn heat to low. Add balsamic & brown sugar and continue to cook until very tender and caramelized. About 20 more minutes. Set aside and let cool.

Meanwhile, toss your diced sweet potato with olive oil, and season with salt & pepper to coat. Roast about 15 minutes or until tender. Set aside to cool slightly. Raise oven temp to 500 degrees or as high as it can go. (to prepare for the pizzas)

When you have all your ingredients prepped, lets make pizza!

 

Use either a pizza stone or a sheet pan lined with foil (I like non-stick foil, makes it easier). Sprinkle the pan with a little flour, semolina flour or cornmeal. Toss your prepared dough in floured hands and stretch to desired shape and thinness. If you are using my dough recipe (which I hope you are!) you will have to work quickly moving your hands to stretch the dough. Try not to use the tips of your fingers, use your knuckles so it doesn't rip the dough. Lay it out on the pan and start layering your pizza. We are not looking for perfection in the shape here, I love the look of the crazy pizza shapes. Gives it an artisal look. (which it is...I'm a pizza artist today!) If the dough tears anywhere, just pinch it back together.

 Drizzle the dough with olive oil. Sprinkle desired amount of sweet potato, onions, and cheese. Layer evenly and all the way to the edges. (Don't go crazy with the cheese with a thin crust pizza like this. A little goes a long way!)

 Top with an even layer of sopressatta slices, red pepper flakes (as spicy as you like it), and oregano.

  Bake until golden brown crust and bubbling (about 8-10 min).

  Once out of the oven, let rest a minute. Garnish with fresh arugula. Slice & devour!

 BBQ Chicken-Red Jalapeno Pizza (makes one 9-inch pizza)

1 cup cooked, diced chicken (I buy a rotisserie chicken and dice up the meat. Use the leftover chicken for something else)
1/4 thinly sliced red onion
1/3 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/3 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 red jalapeno, thinly sliced (optional)
Your favorite BBQ Sauce (about 1/3 cup)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella (or jack cheese)
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1- 6oz pizza dough (click for my recipe here), room temperature

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. (For at least 15-30 min to build up heat) Make sure you have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go.

Use either a pizza stone or a sheet pan lined with foil (I like non-stick foil, makes it easier). Sprinkle the pan with a little flour, semolina flour or cornmeal. Toss your prepared dough in floured hands and stretch to desired shape and thinness. If you are using my dough recipe (which I hope you are!) you will have to work quickly moving your hands to stretch the dough. Try not to use the tips of your fingers, use your knuckles so it doesn't rip the dough. Lay it out on the pan and start layering your pizza. We are not looking for perfection in the shape here, I love the look of the crazy pizza shapes. Gives it an artisal look. If the dough tears anywhere, just pinch it back together.

 Start layering by spreading a nice layer of BBQ sauce.  Next, sprinkle evenly with the chicken and half of your cilantro. Follow with the cheeses, veggies and red jalapenos (we only put jalapenos on half in case my little munchkin wanted some)

 Bake until the crust is a nice golden brown and bubbling! You can smell the magic cooking...

 Garnish with remaining cilantro. This is one colorful, scrumptious pizza! YUM YUM!!

Heavenly Thin Crust Pizza Dough

  You absolutely cannot buy a store bought pizza crust or dough that will ever taste as good or hold a candle to the texture of a homemade pizza dough. It's that simple.

  I am a lover of thin and thick crust pizza. To me you cannot compare them, they are 2 totally different beasts. And I like the extreme in both cases. I like my thin crust pizzas, super thin and crispy and I like my thick crust to be thick, fluffy and a meal in itself. This is a fabulously easy recipe for a perfect thin crust pizza dough. Comes out the same every time. (Made it about 15 times now) It makes about 6 nine-inch pizzas. So you can make the recipe, keep as many dough balls as you like for dinner and freeze the rest for later! I make 2 at a time and it easily feeds 4 people for dinner.

 I highly suggest making it the day before if you can think ahead, but you can easily make it a few hours before dinner, just give it time to rest. You will not be able to get over the texture of this dough! It is like butter! If you have ever bought raw pizza dough from a store (like Trader Joes, etc) which I have many times before I starting making this recipe, you will notice a distinct difference in performance. Store bought dough has so much elasticity that it can sometimes be a bit of a pain to stretch out without it constantly retracting to a smaller size. I hate that! Then I get stuck with uneven, semi-thick dough and it never bakes with a good crisp on the bottom. Not into it anymore, people!

  When you pick up the dough from this recipe, it will fall in every direction and stretch with such ease that you actually have to move fast! It will streeeeeeeeetch until it's thinner than paper. But it gives amazing results. :) Top it how you like. I find with thin crust that you don't want to go too crazy on the sauce. It can make it soggy or lose the crust entirely. Great tossed on the grill too!!

 Click HERE for some of my inspiration pizzas!

 HEAVENLY THIN CRUST PIZZA DOUGH (makes 6 six ounce pizza dough balls)

4 1/2 cups (20.25 oz) unbleached high-gluten, bread, or all-purpose flour, chilled
1 3/4 (.44 oz) tsp salt
1 tsp (.11oz) instant yeast
1 3/4 cups (14 oz) ice cold water
1/4 cup (2 oz) olive oil

Flour, semolina flour or cornmeal for dusting

  If using an electric mixer (recommended!): Stir together the flour, salt & yeast with a dough hook. (if doing it by hand, just use a large bowl and follow the basic directions and you may have rock hard arm muscles afterward from kneading it by hand, but that's not a bad thing!)

 Measure the ice cold water and oil.

Slowly add the liquid to the flour on low speed until completely incorporated. If you find flour on the sides of the bowl, just stop the machine and with a spatula or your hands scrape it more into the bowl so it can form the dough. Switch speed to med-high and let it knead itself for about 6 minutes. 

 When it's done, it will create a smooth, slightly sticky dough. The bowl should have pretty clean sides and the dough will gently stick to the bowl at the bottom.

  If for some reason your dough seems dry, add a sprinkle or two more oil or water. If it is super gooey, add a bit more flour. (It should be perfect though)

 I flour my hands and lightly flour a board and gently dump the dough on it. Next, get out your bench scraper or knife out and if you have it...a scale. (this just helps portion the dough evenly, but you can eyeball it if you don't have one. No biggie!)

Portion 6-7oz balls of dough

  With each ball, I spray a nice layer of cooking spray (or you can just use more olive oil) and slip each one into a ziploc baggy. 

 When you are done you can date them and put what you want to use in the fridge and let rest at least 4 hours before using and what you want to save for later, pop in the freezer. (up to 6 months). To defrost frozen dough: just stick in the fridge the night before. Just bring them to room temp before stretching (about 30-40min)

   When ready to make a pizza: just take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit about 30-40 min to warm it up a bit. (I stick mine near the oven because I preheat my oven for pizza for about 30 min to make sure it's smokin' hot anyways!)

 Lightly flour it (and your hands) and stretch it out to desired shape and size. Place on a cookie sheet or pizza stone that is lightly dusted with either flour, semolina flour or cornmeal. (Tip: I don't have a pizza stone that I like, so I use a sheet pan lined with non-stick foil and a sprinkle of one of those flours- whatever I have on hand. It never sticks and has a great crust!)

 Top with any toppings your heart desires! For inspiration check out a few of my pizzas here!

 

Enjoy!!

The Perfect Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee

 

  I'm on a roll this week! 3 blogs and counting! I'm shocked with all that's been going on with the holidays, then the deconstruction of holiday decor, not to mention the crazy 19 month old I have running around. I guess I'm getting quicker at this stuff.

 

 One of the most wonderful things about this recipe (and so many other desserts) is that you start with such simple, humble ingredients like eggs, cream & sugar and you can turn it into this incredibly divine and sophisticated dessert. All it takes is a little technique. I know this dessert can scare or intimidate people, but you can do it!! I believe in you!

 

 Let me just tell you something, if you do not like creme brulee, it probably wasn't made properly. That is what I tell everyone who doesn't like "custard" desserts. One of those people is my father. He's not into this kind of stuff....until I made him try this. He's now a convert. I converted myself years ago, as a matter of fact! I will actually never forget my first amazing creme brulee experience. My grandmother took me to the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Pasadena before we were to see The Phantom of the Opera when I graduated 6th grade...or maybe it was junior high, I can't remember. It was just her and me. She ordered us the mocha creme brulee and I had never seen anything like it in my life. So intriguing with that first "crack" when you put your spoon onto it... my face lit up! WHOA! This was sooo good! From then on I foolishly ordered it on menus at random "chain" restaurants and such, only to be so disappointed...Why couldn't I find anything that had that same finesse??

 

 Well, there are a lot of bad creme brulees out there. So it wasn't until culinary school where I understood the techniques and realized what places are doing wrong. Too much egg and overcooking. I will never let this happen to my creme brulees and I will know to only order creme brulee from restaurants with competent pastry chefs.

 

  My sister requests me to make this for her birthday every year. (which I did this year, of course)  It is so quick to put together, but it just needs a few hours to chill before eating. This is like velvet in your mouth and the crispy crunch of the caramelized sugar top is what makes it such a classic. Creme brulee meaning "burnt cream" is perfectly appropriate because that crunchy sugar top is what sets it apart from all other custards.

 

 This particular recipe is a fail safe. It always comes out perfectly balanced. Not too eggy (I hate that!), it won't hit you over the head with sugar or vanilla flavor. And most important, the texture is beautiful. I've been using it for years, and I will NEVER change it. I even made my instructions a bit more explainative to make it as fool proof as possible even for a novice baker. So go ahead and give it a try! Let me know how it comes out :)

 

Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee (serves 6)

 

Adapted From: Emeril Lagasse

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped well

6 large egg yolks

1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 6 tablespoons

 

  Extra sugar for bruleeing the top

 

 

6 (5oz) ramekins

 

 

  Preheat your oven to 350.

 

  Then start by heating the cream, milk and vanilla bean seeds as well as the whole vanilla bean in a medium saucepan over med heat. (Do not boil!) Turn off the heat when small bubbles start to form and pop along the sides of the pot. Takes about 10 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes, if you can. This infuses the vanilla into the cream even more.

 

 

While the cream is heating, whisk the sugar and egg yolks in a medium bowl.

 

 

  While the cream is still warm, take a ladle and SLOOOOWLY add the hot cream into the eggs, whisking constantly. Keep ladling until about half of the cream mix is used, then you can safely pour the rest of the cream in. (We are just tempering the eggs, which means that we are slowly bringing them up to the warm temperature without cooking the eggs. If you just dump hot liquid into eggs, you will have a nice batch of sweet scrambled eggs on your hands....gross.)

 

 

  Next, pour your creme brulee mix through a fine strainer into a clean bowl or a large measuring cup.You want to catch all those bits of vanilla bean and if any eggs did cook a little.

 

 

 Set up your creme brulee ramekins (any shape as long as they are about 5 oz.) and fill them up! Divide the mix equally. Sometimes there is a bit leftover, you can discard or make another one...

 

 

  Carefully place the pan in the oven. Then, fill up a pitcher or cup with HOT water and carefully fill the pan around the dishes with the water to create a water bath. Fill about half way up the side of the dishes, careful not to get any water in the creme brulees! (I find it easiest to use a pitcher and fill it pretty full even though you will not use all the water. It just is easier to pour without burning yourself)

 

 

 

 Bake for about 30 minutes. This is where the only crucial part comes in. Sometimes it take less, sometimes it takes more. All ovens run differently and ramekin shapes vary. The key is to check it after about 15-20 minutes just to see the progress. Gently jiggle the pan and you can tell if they still look liquidy or they have just "set". You want a good the brulees to have a good "jiggle" to them, but not in a liquidy way. (you'll see the difference.) If you overcook them, they can curdle and it's not really salvageable at that point. Just make sure you don't get distracted doing something else during this stage.

 

  Also, I find that some set quicker than others because my oven isn't always even in cooking. So I CAREFULLY remove them with tongs or oven mitts and set them on the counter to cool. When they are all cooked, remove them from the water bath and set them on the counter to come to room temp. I then cover them with plastic wrap and put them in the fridge to chill. At least 3 hours. They can also be made up to 3 days in advance at this point!

 

 I had a little helper with high hopes of me dropping something....

 

 

 

When ready to serve: Take a couple spoonfuls of sugar and gently shake the sugar around to completely coat the top of the custard evenly. You can dump any access sugar on the next ramekin.

 

 

  Then the fun part....the brulee! Guests like to watch this part because fire is always fun :) Take your torch, or turn your oven on Broil. (If you broil: Make sure it's VERY hot and the brulees are very cold. You don't want to warm up the brulees and melt the custard.) These little torches are not that pricey and they come in handy, so I recommend picking one up. You can get one here. They also sell them in a set with ramekins too!

 

 Evenly melt and caramelize the sugar. hold the torch about an inch away and move around the surface. Do it as dark as you like it, just don't burn it. Bitter!

 

 

 Let the sugars cool for a sec so they get that crispy lid on top and serve! I like to serve mine with berries or some sort, maybe a crispy cookie to cut the creamy, dreamyness of the custard. (I actually make thin, crispy neutella sandwich cookies for my sis's bday. Heaven!

 

 

 

My beautiful sister was pretty happy! Great 30th bday dessert! (you can see the crazy cookie I put next to it ;) I'm a little over-the top sometimes)

Bon Appetit!

 

 

Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee (serves 6)

Adapted From: Emeril Lagasse

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped well

6 large egg yolks

1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 6 tablespoons

Extra sugar for bruleeing the top

6 (5oz) ramekins

Preheat your oven to 350.

 

 Then start by heating the cream, milk and vanilla bean seeds as well as the whole vanilla bean in a medium saucepan over med heat. (Do not boil!) Turn off the heat when small bubbles start to form and pop along the sides of the pot. Takes about 10 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes, if you can. This infuses the vanilla into the cream even more.

 

While the cream is heating, whisk the sugar and egg yolks in a medium bowl.

 

While the cream is still warm, take a ladle and SLOOOOWLY add the hot cream into the eggs, whisking constantly. Keep ladling until about half of the cream mix is used, then you can safely pour the rest of the cream in. (We are just tempering the eggs, which means that we are slowly bringing them up to the warm temperature without cooking the eggs. If you just dump hot liquid into eggs, you will have a nice batch of sweet scrambled eggs on your hands....gross.)

 

Next, pour your creme brulee mix through a fine strainer into a clean bowl or a large measuring cup.You want to catch all those bits of vanilla bean and if any eggs did cook a little.

 

Set up your creme brulee ramekins (any shape as long as they are about 5 oz.) and fill them up! Divide the mix equally. Sometimes there is a bit leftover, you can discard or make another one...

 

Carefully place the pan in the oven. Then, fill up a pitcher or cup with HOT water and carefully fill the pan around the dishes with the water to create a water bath. Fill about half way up the side of the dishes, careful not to get any water in the creme brulees! (I find it easiest to use a pitcher and fill it pretty full even though you will not use all the water. It just is easier to pour without burning yourself)

 

Bake for about 30 minutes. This is where the only crucial part comes in. Sometimes it take less, sometimes it takes more. All ovens run differently and ramekin shapes vary. The key is to check it after about 15-20 minutes just to see the progress. Gently jiggle the pan and you can tell if they still look liquidy or they have just "set". You want a good the brulees to have a good "jiggle" to them, but not in a liquidy way. (you'll see the difference.) If you overcook them, they can curdle and it's not really savable at that point. Just make sure you don't get distracted doing something else during this stage.

    Also, I find that some set quicker than others because my oven isn't always even in cooking. So I CAREFULLY remove them with tongs or oven mitts and set them on the counter to cool. When they are all cooked, remove them from the water bath and set them on the counter to come to room temp. I then cover them with plastic wrap and put them in the fridge to chill. At least 3 hours. They can also be made up to 3 days in advance at this point!

 

Then the fun part....the brulee! Take your torch, or turn your oven on Broil. (If you broil: Make sure it's VERY hot and the brulees are very cold. You don't want to warm up the brulees and melt the custard.)

Evenly melt and caramelize the sugar. hold the torch about an inch away and move around the surface. Do it as dark as you like it, just don't burn it. Bitter!

 

 Let the sugars cool so they get that crispy lid on top and serve! I like to serve mine with berries or some sort, maybe a crispy cookie to cut the creamy, dreaminess of the custard. Bon Appetit!