Pumpkin Crème Brûlée
Restaurant: The Standard
Serves 1
5 egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup granulated white sugar ½ tablespoon vanilla
3 tablespoons pumpkin Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Separate the egg yolks from the whites. You can easily achieve this by cracking the egg into a small bowl. If the yolk breaks, it is best to save it and use for another dish or breakfast tomorrow. Once in the small bowl, use your hand to scoop up the egg yolk, letting the egg whites slowly slide through your fingers and then pinch the egg whites with the fingers that you are holding the yolk with. This will break the egg whites from the yolk and allow the remaining egg whites to slide through your fingers.
In a small sauce pan, heat 2 cups of heavy cream. Add vanilla and pumpkin, then whisk together to combine thoroughly.
In a separate mixing bowl, add egg yolks and sugar, and whisk together until combined. A dash of lemon juice during this process is not a bad idea because it can act as a natural binder, depending on the ingredients it reacts with.
Once the heavy cream mixture starts to simmer, turn the heat off. Place sugar and egg yolk mixture on a dry towel or nonslip surface for the next step. Slowly add about ½ cup of the hot cream mixture to the egg yolk and sugar. Whisk immediately as you are pouring; if you are making this with a friend or significant other, this is a good time for an extra pair of hands. The initial little bit of hot cream tempers the egg yolk mixture so they do not scramble. Continue to add the hot cream and whisk until all ingredients are combined.
In an oven-safe baking dish (stainless steel is preferred since it will be used only to hold the crème brûlée ), place crème brûlée ramekins and fill the holding pan with water until it covers 75 percent of the height of the ramekin. This allows for even heat and baking, which is extremely crucial to this process.
Fill the crème brûlée dishes with the mixture and bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Set an initial 30-minute timer, then rotate the pan and set another 30-minute timer. The crème brûlée is done when the center barely wiggles when you