And now I give you a quintessential French dessert, to complete the first of many possible sit down dinner party menus, all of which can easily be mixed and matched! I cannot even begin to describe the thrill I am feeling in sharing all my little tips & stories with you, for it transports me back to the excitement of my very first encounter with each one of these recipes …
… Now this is one of my favourite desserts when properly executed, which I am afraid is all too painfully rare; other than a very long time ago, in Paris, France, inarguably not only a culinary mecca but also the most beautiful capital city in the world, where as a child I was put through what I would call cultural boot camp, the culinary reward at the end of each civilizational punishment being the proverbial silver lining, I had never again tasted a really good crème brulee, until I put two & two together, with multiple subtractions and a few additions, and came up with this recipe. Most renditions of a crème brulee have both the texture of a custard and a fast wilting caramel cover akin to a limp handshake!
But not this one, which happens to be Indian journalist ‘par excellence’, Karan Thapar’s all-time favourite and believe it or not, has even managed to distract him from many a heated debate at my dining table!
Ingredients
YIELD: 10 -14 in 3.5 inch diameter (115ml volume) ramekins
Please refer to image pertaining to step one for exact ingredients
- 500ml nestle milk
- 500ml amul cream
- 4 vanilla pods
- 200g caster sugar
- 10 egg yolks
- Additional 150-200 grams caster sugar for caramel cover
Method
Needless to say, but I will anyway, that STEP 1 is to gather all your ingredients. Next preheat your oven (convection bottom heating setting) to 150°C.
Then put your egg yolks in a large stainless steel bowl, add the 200g of caster sugar and beat on low spread until tripled in volume and pale in colour (STEPS 2 & 3).
Then pour milk into a sauce pan and set aside. Take your vanilla pods and with a sharp knife, slice each one in half down the middle and scrape out the seeds put them straight away into the milk.
Then gently heat the milk, but it should neither simmer nor boil (STEP 4).
Once hot, gradually pour into the egg yolk sugar mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until all the milk has been used (STEPS 5 & 6).
Pour the mix into each ramekin and place in a baking dish. Place baking dish on middle shelf in oven, pour in boiling water to come half way up the ramekins, and let cook for 40-50 mins during the summer (there should be a very slight wobble when you remove them from the oven) and 50 to 70 mins during the winter (STEP 7).
Remove, Let cool and ideally refrigerate overnight.
To Finish
Remove ramekins from refrigerator just before serving. Sprinkle each with approximately 1 teaspoon of caster sugar (STEP 8) and then burn using a blow torch (STEP 9); never ever use the salamander technique, since that is what results in a ‘limp handshake.’
Then wait for 10 seconds until the caramel has hardened, tap to check & serve (STEP 10).
Now just look at that unctuous baked cream, and please note, it is not a custard!
Testimonial
“Diya is a master chef. The phrase was coined for her. I crave invitations to her dinners and would greedily return for the left-overs the next day!”
Karan Thapar
Journalist, The Wire
Index
Above: Morphy Richards table top oven
21in width x 14in depth x 13.5in height
Above: Ceramic Ramekin
3.5in diameter (115ml volume)
available at most kitchen ware stores
Above: Aluminium baking tray, or any oven proof tray,
15in length x 11.5in width x 3in height,
available at all kitchen ware stores
Above: Indian Vanilla Pod,
available at Defence Store,
38, Defence Colony Main Market, New Delhi 110024
Above: Simple Kovea Blow torch and cylinder,
available at The Butler Hotel Supermarket,
H6HR+C9X, Sardar Inderjit Singh Bhatia Rd,
Block C, Lajpat Nagar 1, Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi, Delhi 110024