Showing posts with label creme brulee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label creme brulee. Show all posts

Saturday, February 18, 2017

A List To The Rescue

When you've lost your blogging mojo sometimes it helps to make a list, so how 'bout we try that? 

1. I officially have bronchitis. I am so tired of coughing and hubs would say he's also so tired of me coughing. He tries not to say it and if he does it's mostly muttered under his breath, but I get it because I'm annoying even myself. 

2. I've been coughing for three solid weeks, but finally waved the white flag and saw a doctor on Wednesday. I knew I didn't have the flu, nor did I want to get the flu, which is why I put off going to the doctor. 

3. When she heard how many different airplanes I'd been on in the past month and a half she told me to go directly to the pharmacy for my prescription, then directly home to do absolutely nothing until I feel much much better. For the record I'm not that great at doing absolutely nothing, but I'm trying. 

4. That's partly why I haven't been blogging, I just haven't had the energy or more importantly, the brain power.

5. Which is why you're reading this really interesting post all about my cough. 

6. New subject (you're welcome!)...remember Valentine's Day? Ha! Hubs needed to be out of town on the actual day so we celebrated early beginning with this-


So pretty! Still sitting in that same spot a week later, and still pretty!

7. We met Daughter2 for lunch at a favorite burger spot in town and had a great time catching up with her in person. She is too adorable for words, and has the best, brightest smile of anyone I know. Nothing says love quite like a sweet and tender-hearted grown up daughter.


8. We ran some errands while we were in 'the big city, and later that evening hubs grilled steaks in the cast iron skillet, and made my favorite dessert-


Every kitchen needs a hand held torch.


In order for me to declare creme brulee a success, it must pass the spoon test. By that I mean when you tap a spoon on the crystallized sugar you need to hear the tap-tap-tap. I'll insert a little video clip, but these things never seem to work on my blog.


It might be me?


Suffice it to say, this one was perfection.

9. We've been looking for just the right coffee table for our covered deck and had something very specific in mind. We finally found it and broke it in last night.


Daughter1's in-laws came by for a casual supper and we dined
tablesidefireside.


It's got a sweet little fire pit in the center that runs on propane, and we love it!

10. Lastly, the sunrises here. I know I over post this particular subject matter, but every single morning I just sit and watch the darkness turn all shades of pink and lavender and I need to share.


The sky literally changes color minute by minute and sometimes I miss the prettiest bit while fiddling with my camera or the door or my glasses...


Not today though. Today was especially gorgeous. 
Happy weekend everyone! 

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

The post in which we get to play with fire

A few years ago my family bought me a creme brulee set for Mother's Day. And by 'set' I mean four ramekins and a butane torch. Creme brulee is my favorite dessert and they thought it would be fun for me to try making it at home. I think it was the whole torch thing that put me off...I never even took it out of the box. I started thinking about that set recently as I'm having a little dinner party this weekend and I'd like to make creme brulee for dessert. Hubs has been wanting us to try our hand at homemade pasta so we found a lobster ravioli recipe we decided to try too. We had our own little food network happening here last Saturday.

The lobster ravioli was delicious. And a lot of work. I don't have a pasta machine so this was all done the old fashioned way and its a good thing I've been keeping up with Jillian or I don't know if I'd have the muscle required for making pasta.


Here I am working out my biceps rolling out the dough. I took pictures of the filling but it looks kinda like raw fish and I think it might put you off so I'm not posting those.


We made the dough, the lobster filling, and a cream sauce and while I don't think mine looked as pretty as it could have it did taste magnifico. If I made this again I think I'd throw some parsley on top.

On to dessert because that's really why you're still here reading. The creme brulee needs to be made early in the day or better yet a day ahead and then just before serving you fire up the torch and heat the sugar topping. The hard sugar topping is the key to a good creme brulee...gotta hear that tap tap tap when you touch it with your spoon. We pulled them out of the frig about 9 PM and realized we had no butane for the torch. That was disappointing. I was happy to pop them under the broiler but hubs said no way! and off he went to the supermarket. He returned with a can of fuel so I let him play with fire do the honors.

Creme Brulee
(I used a recipe found here)

4 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
dash of salt
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 pt. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350. Put the egg yolks into a small bowl and set aside. Put the sugar into a mixing bowl and add the cream. Stir gently with a whisk. You're not whipping this, just stirring. Next, put it into the microwave for 2 minutes to dissolve the sugar.

While that's heating whisk the egg yolks to break up. When the sugar mixture is done stir it a bit to be sure it's completely dissolved. Stir in the eggs and whisk thoroughly. Add a dash of salt and the vanilla. Whisk well and pour into ramekins. I think this recipe would have filled 5 but I just made four in our practice run. Put the ramekins into a roasting pan and add enough hot water to the pan to come about halfway up the ramekins.


Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. They will be a little jiggly when you pull them out and will set up more in the frig. Let them cool a bit and then refrigerate overnite or at least several hours.


When ready to serve sprinkle the tops with sugar and then fire up the torch. If you don't have a torch you can set them under the broiler but what fun is that? I used plain sugar last weekend but am making some vanilla sugar this week to use on Saturday. You can also use brown sugar.


Squisito!

I'm definitely going to make these for my guests on Saturday. I think I'll add some berries alongside but it's not necessary. It's a light dessert and one that I can make a day ahead which is my favorite way to cook for a dinner party. Enjoy!

I'm linking up with Tasty Tuesdays today...visit Jen for more great recipes. Edited to link with Kelly's Korner-SUYL Desserts