Food: Creme Brulee for 40

As a dessert to follow the great chili pot of 2010, I decided to make creme brulee servings for 40 people. Creme brulee is easily one of the most consistent desserts I make, but to make it for 40 – I encountered some problems.

the first was the 40 servings – I only had about 24 ramekins ranging from 3-6 oz sizes. I found some cheap ones that were 2 oz sized, and I had about 10 ceramic amuse-bouche spoons that would hold a creme brulee “bite”. I still had to borrow. Not only did I have the traditional white ceramic fluted ramekins (which double nicely for souffle), I also borrowed some ceramic bowls from Solamanda that were easter themed:

the second problem was the bain marie or water bath that the creme brulee ramekins sit in while being baked. I have a double oven, each with two racks, but only one large roasting pan, two 9×13″ pans, and a couple 10″ aluminum cake pans. I considered using the cast iron pans I love so much, but I was worried about all the water sitting there for prolonged periods of time. I ended up baking the creme brulee in batches, which seemed to work well, but exposed the “hot spots” and “cold spots” of my oven really quick.

So prior to mixing, I had to assemble the ingredients. The basic recipe is below, but I had to make 6 times the recipe. So that means 30 egg yolks:

I used about 3 qts of heavy cream along with 5 vanilla beans (cut and seeded) to flavor the liquid. I have been getting my vanilla beans from Buon Italia located in chelsea market in NYC. yes. I go up to new york and I bring back vanilla beans. why? becuase they sell a 2-pack of vanilla beans for $6.50 where the last check of the beans locally range from $15-20 for two!!!

Fun fact about the vanilla bean: it comes from an orchid plant. (it just so happens the US Botannical Gardens Orchid show is here too!)

There are a couple different ways to buy vanilla. The most common is vanilla extract, which is the biproduct of putting vanilla beans in an alcohol-based solution. The second most popular is the vanilla bean which comes in many different varieties like “madagascar” and “tahitian” which point to the specific plant variety – this is my favorite way of using vanilla. A more shelf-stable vanilla with no mess is vanilla paste. This is typically a vanilla bean extract from water, and has the characteristic black vanilla bean speckles in it. It does not have any alcoholic residue the extract has, and has none of the prep-work a vanilla bean requires.

No matter which preparation of vanilla you use, you can rest assured that they can be interchanged in a 1:1 ratio – meaning 1 tsp of extract = 1 tsp of paste. For more details on conversions, check here.

The most popular vanilla paste I’ve come across is, available at your local gourmet store:

anyway, after creaming the sugar and yolks, it becomes a breeze – when pouring out the final product, make sure to stir the egg/cream mixture between pours so you evenly distribute the precious vanilla beans so your guests can see them.

When baking them, you can jiggle the ramekin to see if the centers are -just set-, meaning they have a little hint of a jello-jiggle, but not a ripple like a stone in a pond. if they are completely firm, they are overcooked and may not be as smooth all the way through. it takes a batch or two to get the right feel.

Creme Brulee Recipe

Yield: 4 (~5 oz) servings

Ingredients
2 cups heavy or light cream, or half-and-half
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar, more for topping

Method

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a saucepan, combine cream and vanilla bean and cook over low heat just until hot. Let sit for a few minutes, then discard vanilla bean. (If using vanilla extract, add it now.)

2. In a bowl, beat yolks and sugar together until light. Stir about a quarter of the cream into this mixture, then pour sugar-egg mixture into cream and stir. Pour into four 6-ounce ramekins and place ramekins in a baking dish; fill dish with boiling water halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until centers are barely set. Cool. Ramekins can be wrapped tightly and refrigerated for a couple of days.

3. When ready to serve, top each custard with about a teaspoon of sugar in a thin layer. Use a butane torch and constantly move the flame over the sugar, keep the heat on until all the granules have been melted or the sugar gets to a deep tan color – when it gets to the deep tan color, STOP the flame, the sugar will continue to darken after the flame has stopped.

If you want, you can also go the broiler method: Place ramekins in a broiler 2 to 3 inches from heat source. Turn on broiler. Cook until sugar melts and browns or even blackens a bit, about 5 minutes. Serve within two hours.