Bon Appetit Desserts (98 page)
Read Bon Appetit Desserts Online
Authors: Barbara Fairchild
A nice chocolate-coffee take on traditional crème caramel: The custard is prepared with milk chocolate and instant coffee crystals, and then topped with a layer of mocha ganache.
Makes 6
⅔ cup plus ¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
1½ cups heavy whipping cream
½ cup milk
4 ounces high-quality milk chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), chopped
2½ teaspoons instant coffee crystals
3 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1½ teaspoons instant coffee powder
½ teaspoon water
4 ounces high-quality milk chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), chopped
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
CUSTARD
: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Place six ½-cup ramekins or custard cups in baking pan. Stir ⅔ cup sugar and 3 tablespoons water in heavy small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to boil. Boil without stirring until mixture turns deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 9 minutes. Immediately pour caramel into ramekins, dividing equally. Carefully tilt ramekins just to coat bottom (not sides) with caramel.
Bring cream, milk, and remaining ¼ cup sugar to boil in heavy medium saucepan, whisking until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and stir until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Whisk in coffee crystals, egg yolks, and egg. Divide custard mixture equally among caramel-lined ramekins. Add enough hot water to baking pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins.
Bake custards until set around edges and center moves only slightly when baking pan is shaken, about 30 minutes. Remove custards from water and cool. Cover and refrigerate until very cold, about 4 hours.
DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.
GANACHE
: Dissolve coffee powder in ½ teaspoon water in small bowl. Combine chocolate and cream in heavy small saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in coffee mixture. Cool until just warm to touch.
Divide ganache among custards. Spread ganache with back of spoon to cover top of custards completely. Refrigerate until ganache is set, at least 1 hour.
DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.
Run small sharp knife around sides of 1 custard to loosen. Place plate atop ramekin. Invert custard onto plate. Remove ramekin [1]. Repeat with remaining custards and ramekins.
Mango FlansSweet pureed mango, a bit of lime juice, and ginger give these an edge over plain old vanilla flan. Start preparing these in the morning or the night before: The flans need to chill for at least six hours after baking.
Makes 8
1½ cups plus ⅓ cup sugar
¾ cup hot water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 1-pound ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, pureed (about 2¾ cups puree)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons half and half
5 large eggs
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine 1½ cups sugar, ¾ cup hot water, and corn syrup in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 6 minutes. Immediately pour caramel syrup into eight 6-ounce custard cups, dividing equally.
Whisk mango puree, lime juice, ginger, and remaining ⅓ cup sugar in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat until mixture thickens and large bubbles break surface, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly, stirring occasionally. Whisk half and half and eggs in large bowl to blend. Stir in mango mixture. Strain custard.
Pour custard over caramel in custard cups, dividing equally. Place custard cups in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to pan to come halfway up sides of custard cups. Cover pan with foil.
Bake flans until just set in center, about 35 minutes. Turn off heat. Leave flans covered in oven 30 minutes longer. Remove from roasting pan. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
Run small sharp knife around sides of 1 flan. Place plate atop cup. Invert flan onto plate, allowing caramel to run over flan. Remove cup. Repeat with remaining flans and serve.
Ingredient Tip:
Mango Varieties
The 1 -pound mangoes you’ll most often find in the market are known as Tommy Atkins. But you can also use the increasingly available small, sweet, golden yellow Ataulfo mangoes (sometimes referred to as Champagne mangoes). You’ll need 2 pounds’ worth of Ataulfo mangoes for this recipe.
Sweet Potato FlansHere’s a southern spin on the popular Spanish custard. The flans’ creamy sweetness would be nicely complemented by the Crisp Anise Cookies on page 574.
Makes 12
1½ pounds unpeeled whole red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams)
2¾ cups sugar, divided
¾ cup water
6 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel
Cook sweet potatoes in large pot of boiling water until tender, about 35 minutes. Drain well. Cool 20 minutes. Peel potatoes. Transfer to medium bowl; mash until smooth.
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Stir 2 cups sugar and ¾ cup water in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 10 minutes. Immediately divide caramel among twelve ¾-cup custard cups or soufflé dishes, tilting cups to cover bottom (not sides) with caramel. Cool.
Whisk mashed sweet potatoes, remaining ¾ cup sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt in large bowl to blend well. Combine cream and orange peel in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Gradually whisk cream into potato-egg mixture. Strain mixture into 2-quart measuring cup or bowl; discard solids in strainer.
Divide mixture among custard cups. Place 6 cups in each of 2 large baking pans. Add enough hot water to baking pans to come halfway up sides of cups. Bake flans until sides are set but center still moves slightly when cups are shaken, about 45 minutes. Remove cups from water and cool about 40 minutes. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.
Run small sharp knife around sides of 1 flan. Place plate atop cup. Invert flan onto plate, allowing caramel to run over flan. Remove custard cup. Repeat with remaining flans and serve.
Brûlée Basics
Once you’ve mastered custard, it’s easy to transform it into restaurant-worthy crème brûlée. Here’s how.
1
Sprinkle the well-chilled custards with a small amount of sugar—about 1 teaspoon. In this case, there really can be too much of a good thing. A thicker layer of sugar might not melt and caramelize (burn) evenly. Then it won’t crisp completely, resulting in a slightly granular texture. White sugar is a good, classic choice. Raw sugar is even better: We find that it melts and caramelizes more easily and hardens better. Because brown sugar clumps, we recommend pressing the sugar through a sieve over each custard.
2
A small kitchen blowtorch is the easiest and the most effective way to caramelize the sugar topping. (Kitchen torches are available at cookware stores, at some hardware stores, and online for $20 to $40. See Online and Mail-Order Sources, page 632.) But if you don’t have a torch (and don’t want to buy one), the broiler is the next best thing. Arrange the custards on a baking sheet and place about 6 inches from the heat source. Then broil, moving sheet occasionally to ensure even browning.
3
Chill the caramelized custards until the topping hardens and any melted custard resets, about one hour and up to two hours. In other words, long enough to chill the custards, but not so long that the topping softens.
Caramel Crème BrûléeIn this twist on the classic crème brûlée, the sugar in the custard is caramelized as well as the sugar on top, which gets “brûléed,” or “burnt.” The custards need to chill overnight before serving, so be sure to start one day ahead.
Makes 6
½ cup plus 6 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon water
2 cups heavy whipping cream
5 large egg yolks
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 300°F. Place six ½-cup ramekins or soufflé dishes in 13×9×2-inch metal baking pan. Combine ½ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon water in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 5 minutes. Slowly add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously); stir over low heat until any caramel bits dissolve and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Cool slightly.
Combine egg yolks, vanilla, and salt in medium metal bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until mixture is pale in color, about 3 minutes. Gradually add cream mixture and beat until blended. Divide mixture among ramekins. Add enough hot water to baking pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins.
Bake until custards are just set in center, about 45 minutes. Remove ramekins from water; cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate overnight.