Farm Girl like blow torch.Blow torch goooooood.
Even if I didn't absolutely *love* custard with a crisp, candy crust, I would have to get myself one of these! EDIT: This one is currently on loan from my father-in-law.
Recruiting something from the shop into useful service in my kitchen renders me giddy... especially if it involves an open flame and potential spontaneous combustion.
Pliers? Super!
Wire cutters? Brilliant!
Air compressor? Fabulous!
Fire extinguisher? Not so much!
What's even better?
A recipe made for Engineers!
I am NOT joking! I got this stellar recipe at CookingForEngineers.com and it totally rocked.
One of the main reasons I love Alton Brown's show "Good Eats" on the food channel is, not only is he very smart with a brilliant sense of humor (and I have a very tiny, highly-secret crush on him *shhhhhhhh*!) he explains WHY stuff does what it does when you're cooking it. I'm a girl who likes all the information I can get my greasy little hands on so I know exactly, in excruciatingly precise detail, how things are going to work. I want to know enough about what I'm doing to decide whether or not to follow the recipe to the letter (which I almost NEVER do). I'm spontaneous and like to improvise with the best stuff I have on hand. More importantly, however, I DETEST FAILURE AND WASTE! I buy/grow super-good ingredients and I cannot abide wasting my time, effort or money on inedible disaster.
The Cooking for Engineers recipe had pictures, great, detailed explanations and even a super-cool flow chart...A FLOW CHART!
I totally geeked out.
My Créme Brulée is different from the recipe in two ways:
1) I only had about a cup of heavy cream so I had to use some very heavy whole milk to round out the two cups of liquid. To rescue the richness from the lacking fat content, I used a smidge less milk than called for and threw in another egg yolk.
2) Into the two larger dishes I tossed those fresh berries from the last post.
The result?
Absolutely, THE BEST FREAKIN' CUSTARD I'VE EVER HAD! Not a lump. Not a grain. No "custard sweat" to dab off the top!
Sprinkled with some organic cane sugar and torched to kingdom come, they were a thing of beauty so irresistible I couldn't keep my girls off 'em long enough to get a picture of the plain ones.
You want Créme Brulée, Beth?
I'm aaaaall over it, Sister!
3 comments:
LOOK OUT ALTON! And Martha! She's on her way. Loved the whole thing. You are SO creative. AND, resourceful. Just think with that BIG a torch, you could maybe do all 4 custards at once!
I LOVE Creme Brulee! That looks sooooo good. I am very envious. I have never actually tried to make it - was it very hard?
Oh yum, yum yum. I can't even say more than that.
PS I hear you get your milk from the same farm we do.
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