Difficulty: Moderate
Crème brûlée, French for “burned cream,” is a custard whose sugar topping is melted and crystallized under a broiler. This was a fun dish, I first had Creme Brulee in Sedona and it was divine. This adaptation is taken from Cooking Light so it is much friendlier to the figure than the real deal. Only 180 calories for a 4 oz serving! Compare that to an average of 500 calories and this one is a nice tasty indulgence. Not quite as creamy as the real deal but it is still a beautiful custard.
A water bath ensures the custards cook slowly and evenly. Line the baking pan with a kitchen towel before adding the ramekins; the towel will also keep them from sliding and will protect the bottoms from the hot pan.
Ingredients
1/3 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 pint fresh berries (blackberries, raspberries, etc)
1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 TBS sugar
2 TBS lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
Preparation
Preheat oven to 300°.Combine 1/3 cup sugar and the egg yolks in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around the edge (do not boil), stirring occasionally. Stir in the vanilla extract. Gradually add milk mixture to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk.
Divide the mixture evenly among 6 (4-ounce) ramekins, custard cups, or shallow baking dishes. Place ramekins in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan; add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch.
Bake at 300° 45 minutes or until the center barely moves when ramekin is touched. Remove ramekins from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack. Cover ramekins and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.
Carefully sift 1 tablespoon sugar evenly over each custard. Holding a kitchen blow torch about 2 inches from the top of each custard, heat the sugar, moving the torch back and forth, until the sugar is completely melted and caramelized (about 1 minute). Serve the custards immediately or within 1 hour.
Combine fruit ingredients and let macerate in bowl while you make the sugar topping. Serve on the side or on top.
Note: Sugar topping can be prepared on the stovetop. Place 6 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a small, heavy saucepan. Cook, without stirring, over medium heat until golden (about 5 to 8 minutes). Immediately pour over cold custards, and quickly spread to form a thin layer.
