There's no doubt about it; we love anything creamy that crosses our palate. I can remember my first Panna Cotta in Italy, and I was immediately seduced by its rich creamy texture. Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out to us, there are so many other ways of getting something creamy on a spoon.
One of the first great desserts you'll come across when you start dining out on French cuisine is Crème Brulé. The combination of the brittle sugar topping and the creamy pudding underneath is irresistible. Closely related to it is Crème Caramel, which literally turns the recipe on its head. And of course, the Italian delight Panna Cotta achieves that perfect creaminess in an entirely different way.
Here are Jerry's recipes for each.
Crème Brulé
6 egg yolks
6 tablespoons white sugar, divided
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
Whisk egg yolks, 4 tablespoons white sugar, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until thick and creamy; set aside.
Pour cream into a saucepan and stir over low heat until it almost comes to a boil.
Whisk cream into egg yolk mixture; beat until combined.
Pour mixture into the top pan of a double boiler. Stir over simmering water until mixture lightly coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes.
Pour into a shallow heat-proof dish.
Bake in the preheated oven until custard is set, about 30 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour or overnight.
Turn the oven to broil.
Combine remaining 2 tablespoons white sugar and brown sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle mixture evenly over custard.
Place dish under the broiler until sugar melts and caramelizes, about 2 minutes. Watch carefully so as not to burn.
Allow to cool slightly, then refrigerate until custard is set again, about 10 minutes.
Crème Caramel
Ingredients
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 12-oz can evaporated milk
1 8-oz cream cheese bar
6 eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
A dash of Cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup sugar
In a saucepan set over medium heat, caramelize the sugar until golden brown and then quickly pour into a 9-inch cake pan, making sure it completely covers the bottom. Let cool. In a large bowl soften the cream cheese with the back of a large, slotted spoon until soft. Mix in the eggs, one at a time. Wait until well combined before adding another one. Once the mixture has become thin enough, you can switch over to a whisk. Whisk in the remaining ingredients and pour into the cake pan. Set the flan in a water bath and bake in a 350°F oven until set in the center but still slightly jiggly, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove from the water bath. Allow it to cool to room temperature. Run a knife around the edge of the flan. Place a large plate over the flan and carefully invert the cake pan allowing the flan to drop onto the plate.
Panna Cotta
⅓ cup skim milk
1 (.25 ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
2 ½ cups heavy cream
½ cup white sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Pour milk into a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin powder over milk and stir until combined. Set aside.
Stir heavy cream and sugar together in a saucepan. Set over medium heat and bring to a boil; watch carefully as the cream can quickly bubble up and boil over.
Immediately stir gelatin mixture into boiling cream, stirring until completely dissolved. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in vanilla.
Pour cream mixture into 6 individual ramekins. Leave to cool, uncovered, until no longer warm, about 20 minutes.
When cool, cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.
