Photo c. foodblogchef 2020
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LEMON CREME BRULEE
Serves 4
Ingredients:
-1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
-½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
-1 ½ cups heavy cream
-about 5 tablespoons turbinado sugar such as Sugar in the Raw
-3 large egg yolks
-¼ teaspoon vanilla
Preparation:
1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Add 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest into cream in a heavy saucepan.
3. Stir in 3 ½ tablespoons turbinado sugar and a pinch of salt. Heat mixture over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until you see faint wisps of steam when you stir the mixture (almost-but-not-boiling) and the sugar is completely melted into the cream. Do not let the cream boil!
4. Lightly beat the yolks in a bowl, then, whisking constantly, incorporate the yokes into the hot cream. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a quart-size glass measure and stir in vanilla and ½ teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. Divide among oven-safe ramekins.
5. Arrange the ramekins in a roasting pan with enough warm water to go half-way up the sides of the ramekins and bake in the warm water bath until the custards are just set around edge but the centers wobble when the pan is gently shaken, 30 to 35 minutes.
6. Cool the custards in a cold water bath 20 minutes, then remove from the pan and chill uncovered for at least 4 hours. (Custards will set completely as they chill.)
7. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar evenly over each custard, then using a chefs blowtorch move a flame evenly back and forth close to the sugar until it is caramelized. If you don’t have a chefs blowtorch, place the ramekins on a sheet pan under the broiler monitoring closely until the sugar is melted and begins to caramelize (turn golden brown). (See *Note)
8. Let stand until caramel is hardened, 3 to 5 minutes.
*Note: as a time saver, you can put the ramekins under the broiler until the sugar begins to melt (about 2-3 minutes depending on how hot the broiler is) and then touch up the finished crust on each one to a golden brown with the chefs torch.