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One of my first early introductions to French Desserts was Crème Brulee. I can’t say I remember the exact first time I had this dessert, but I do know it was before I hit culinary school. There was something so high end about a dish made up of such simple and straight forward ingredients. Eggs, Sugar, Heavy Cream and Vanilla made a dessert that you could die for. The term “Crème Brulee” translates into “Burnt Cream”, something that doesn’t sound terribly enticing. But after the first appearance of the recipe surfaced in a 1691 cookbook by Francois Massialot, as Cuisinier royal et bourgeois, the name was translated into the Crème Brulee we know now. Surprisingly, the recipe disappeared from cookbooks until the 1980’s and was made popular again at the infamous Le Cirque Restaurant in New York City. Famous Chef Sirio Maccioni revived the dish, making it a sign of complete indulgence and elegance.

During Culinary School, I started my first cooking job in Cape May. While spending most of my time in the dessert area, I found myself blow torching many Creme Brulee’s to serve guests. Different flavors rotated through based on the season, including Eggnog, Pumpkin, Coffee and of course, the traditional vanilla bean. Kathy Cressman, who was the pastry chef who made all of these amazing desserts worked her magic every time. I remember eating one of her traditional ones and thinking how perfectly she had created them. Silky smooth, creamy, full of vanilla flavor and topped with the perfectly crunchy top, she excelled at showcasing one of France’s best desserts.

Being a former Caffeine addict, I enjoy my 3 cups of coffee a day. Sometimes during a busy day, I will have a 4th if I have a lot to do. Upon arriving in Paris, we learned that our traditional drip coffee here in the States didn’t really exist. In England, our coffee is known as “Filter Coffee”. That wasn’t even listed as an option at most Cafes, coffee spots or patisseries. Randy had already gotten hooked in England on Cafe Latte’s instead of his normal coffee order. I had no choice but to cross over myself while in Paris. While I don’t hate them, they don’t do much for me here in the States. I don’t know if it was being in Paris, or different ingredients, but those Cafe Lattes went down sooooo smoothly. I enjoyed two to three a day and looked forward to each one.

While I have shook them since getting home, when it came to a dessert from Paris, I knew I had to incorporate that Latte flavor into whatever it is that made. But honestly there was no contest for dessert. It had to be Creme Brulee.

Incorporating the Latte flavor is very simple. An instant espresso mix aids easily in giving us the desired flavor. If you want a more subdued coffee flavor, go for instant coffee instead of instant espresso.

The most important part of this recipe is to utilize a water bath for cooking. Adding hot water to the hotel pan or whatever pan you will be cooking the Creme Brulees in will allow for even cooking and prevent cracking from happening.

Make sure your mixture is smooth and well mixed before pouring it into your brulee dishes. If you don’t have specific brulee dishes, you can use shallow cups or ramekins even. The important part is to fill whatever vessel you are using half way up with water. And then cook accordingly.

For my shallow brulee containers, I filled the water halfway and it took a perfect 40 minutes at 300 degrees to get a just set Creme with a slight wobble. You don’t want it to be completely set, but a smooth Creme. Remember, they are going to solidify more once you cool them.

The Brulees should be completely cooled in the fridge and then only slightly heated when you are blazing the top. Place a thin layer of sugar on top, no more then 1/4 inch thick. If you do not have a torch, don’t fret. You can brulee the top using your broiler. Just make sure to closely watch them as the transition from caramelized to burnt can and will happen very quickly.

If you have a torch, keep it lower and take your time with caramelizing. If you get any of the sugar burnt, the Brulee will be extremely bitter and not enjoyable.

I hope you enjoy this dish and that it gives you a little escape to Paris, even if just for a few minutes.

Cafe Latte Creme Brulee

Serves 4

8 egg yolks

2 cup sugar, divided

3 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon instant espresso

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
  • In a large pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a simmer while you are prepping the Crème Brulee.
  • In a medium-size bowl, beat egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar with a whisk for approximately 1 minute, or until smooth. Reserve.
  • In a second medium-size bowl, add espresso powder and 1/2cup heavy cream. Whisk thoroughly until smooth, then add remaining heavy cream and whisk until well blended. Add espresso cream mixture and vanilla to egg yolks. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold together.
  • Use a ladle to pour mixture into individual ramekins, 3/4 of the way to the top.
  • Place ramekins into a roasting pan. Transfer to oven. Before closing oven door, pour water into pan (but not into the ramekins themselves!) until it reaches 1/2 way up the side of the ramekins.
  • Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until when you shake the pan, the brulee jiggles slightly. Remove from oven and carefully remove from water bath.
  • Carefully place in refrigerator and allow to cool completely.
  • When brulees have fully solidified and cooled down, sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar evenly overtop each individual portion. Under a watchful eye, use a small blowtorch to caramelize the sugar.
  • Alternatively, place ramekins 1-inch below oven broiler until sugar caramelizes.