Eggnog Creme Brulee

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Holiday classic in the White Table Kitchen, this is sure to be a special treat for your guests this holiday season. 

 

Creme Brulee is a classic dessert that originates from France and it’s pretty hard to find someone who doesn’t enjoy a serving of this sweet treat every now and then. Because of its popularity (and Mark’s love for it), we decided to add a variation of it to the winter menu infusing eggnog for that classic holiday flavour. Now, even if you are not a fan of drinking eggnog, we promise you, this recipe will not disappoint. Creme brulee does require you to torch the top to get that “thin glass” to crack through and that’s that’s part of the fun of eating this treat! But don’t be intimidated by the idea of torching the top, it’s really easy and fun! These desserts look beautiful displayed and stationed on the island on cake stands or serve them individually to each guest. Below, Mark also gives his tips on how to make the most beautiful (and easy) garnish – sugar-dusted rosemary and sugar-coated cranberries and his tips to get the perfect brulee.

Enjoy!

EGGNOG BRULEE 

SERVES 6 

Brulee: 

2 Cups Whipping Cream

2 Cups Eggnog

1 Vanilla Bean

8 Egg Yolks

¼ Cup Sugar

1 Nutmeg Whole (pinch ground)

Extra Sugar

 

Garnish: 

20 Fresh Cranberries

1Tsp Water

1 Tbsp White Sugar, Plus 1 Tbsp Set Aside

¼ Cup Superfine Sugar

6 Rosemary Sprigs

 

Directions: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Split vanilla bean in half. Using the edge of a knife scrape out the center and place the bean along with the paste into a pot with the whipping cream. Heat the cream until it boils and then set it aside. In another bowl place ¼ cup sugar, eggnog, a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg and egg yolks together. Remove the vanilla bean pod from the cream and slowly pour the hot cream liquid into the bowl with the other ingredients while whisking quickly to temper the egg mixture, but keep it from curdling. Pour the warm mixture into 6 ramekins and place them into a roasting pan. Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it comes halfway up the outside of the ramekins. Place the pan into the oven for approximately 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan when the center becomes firm, but will still move slightly if disturbed. Cool the ramekins on the counter for 10 minutes and then in the fridge to rest for at least two hours. 

For garnish place white sugar and water into a pan and heat until dissolved. Add the fresh cranberries. Roast the cranberries until they soften and split. Pull the pan from the heat and allow to rest for a minute. Place the cranberries a bowl with the fresh white sugar. Toss to coat and set aside. Cut the rosemary sprigs to size and rinse with water. Shake the excess water off and dredge the moist rosemary into the superfine sugar. Tip: If you don’t have superfine sugar, you can make this quickly by blending regular sugar in a Vitamix until it looks similar to icing sugar.

To finish the brulee, remove them from the fridge and top with fresh sugar, shake off the excess sugar leaving only a thin layer. Approximately 1 mm. Using a blowtorch, place the flam so it’s just touching the top of the surface. Move the torch back and forth slowly to caramelize the surface until it turns golden brown and then serve and enjoy! Tip: when using a spoon the caramelized sugar should crack like thin glass. 



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