Are you looking for a dessert to steal the show
at your next dinner party?
Well, my ruby chocolate creme brulee is truly a winner.
I love creme brulee.
It's its simplicity, and it all starts with whipping cream.
I've got one cup of whipping cream here,
and I'm going to heat that with a little bit of vanilla.
You could use vanilla bean, or vanilla bean paste
at this point, and the heat will draw out the flavor.
I want to bring this to just below a simmer.
And when it comes to heating whipping cream,
do keep an eye on it.
Once it comes up to a simmer, it will boil over.
But I have plenty of time here to separate my three eggs.
I need the yolks.
Now you did hear me correctly,
I said ruby chocolate creme brulee.
Ruby chocolate is from its own variety
of cocoa bean, that has a natural pink color.
So this pink color is 100% natural,
and it seems strange, but honestly,
when you taste ruby chocolate,
you swear it has a berry taste.
This is simmering, so I'll take it off the heat.
And I'll add my two ounces of ruby chocolate.
Sometimes couverture chocolate comes in chips like this,
sometimes it comes in blocks and you have to chop it.
What you can't use is regular chocolate chips,
the kind you put in cookies.
Now that my cream is hot, the chocolate is melted,
I can add my one tablespoon of sugar to my egg yolks.
You always want to add the sugar
right before you start adding cream.
That way it stays nice and smooth.
And the sugar is really actually less for the sweetness.
The sweetness comes from the ruby
or white chocolate you're using,
but the sugar helps protect the eggs,
as I slowly pour in the cream.
Start slowly.
And then just increase your whisking
as you add the rest of the cream.
Let's have a little fun with our creme brulee.
To play on that pink color from the ruby chocolate,
I'm going to add some freeze dried raspberries.
These really add an intense pop of raspberry flavor,
but I want to crush them up first.
Just with your hands.
(crunching)
Before I pour my creme brulee into my cups,
I want to get rid of the air bubbles
at the surface of the custard.
I might as well do it now,
before I stir in the freeze dried raspberries,
because they can float to the top.
but you want to do this so that your bruleed sugar
on top really brulees well.
There we go.
Okay, and in go the raspberries.
Mm, just like that ruby chocolate,
the intensity of the pink color from something
from nature just kind of blows my mind sometimes.
Mm.
As soon as I add those raspberries to the warm cream,
I can smell that beautiful aroma.
All right, time to get the custard into the cups.
I've got my creme brulee dishes.
You can bake these in a conventional ramekin if you wish.
I like the flat dishes.
More surface area for the bruleed sugar on top.
A great little tip to keep your dishes
from sliding around in your roasting pan,
place a paper towel down.
Of course we're gonna put water in the pan,
so your paper won't burn.
There you go.
And then just ladle your custard into each dish.
A little goes a long way when it comes to creme brulee.
I've preheated my oven to 325,
and before I put the water in the pan,
which is very awkward to carry,
I'll open the oven door first,
bring the custards over,
and then it's easier and safer to pour the water
around the dishes from here.
The water comes about halfway up the dish.
Those only take 15 to 20 minutes to set.
They'll have a little jiggle in the center,
be set on the outside.
I'll take them out of the water to cool,
and then chill them down.
If you're baking in a regular ramekin,
add an extra five to 10 minutes to that cook time.
Then, it'll be time for the best part, the brulee.
Part of the fun of hosting a dinner party
is putting on a bit of a show,
and you can definitely do that with creme brulee.
I've got a butane kitchen torch, my granulated sugar,
and my beautiful chilled creme brulee custards.
To caramelize the sugar on top,
I find it's easiest to layer on the sugar.
If you put too thick of a layer and start torching,
you'll burn the top before the sugar underneath has melted,
and then you keep building on those layers
until you get that caramelized sugar crust
to the thickness you're happy with.
And there it is, an iconic French bistro dessert,
but yet with a little contemporary twist,
the combination of freeze dried raspberries
and ruby chocolate worked into it.
You are going to be a hit at your next dinner party,
so enjoy every moment of it,
and I'll enjoy every moment of this.
(upbeat music)
Mm, mm, mm, mm hm.