Baking Basics, Part Three

If I see another petite papered dessert menu with creme brulee listed on it, I might just scream.  

Allow me to take this opportunity to over share.  I've been going out on a lot of dates lately.  I thought it was time that I get out of the kitchen and meet a cute boy or two over dinner and drinks.  It's all well and good.  I get to hang up my apron, slap on some heels and try some new LA restaurants.  Sometimes the company is good, sometimes the dinner date feels like a disasterous eternity.  Either way, inevitably the dessert menu comes.  If the guy is trying to be cheap he'll wave  the dessert menu away without consulting me.  If he's polite, he'll accept the dessert menu and we'll discuss our options.  If he's feeling uber masculine, he'll superficially glance over the dessert menu and hastily order the creme brulee.  

Ugh.  

I've been on several back to back creme brulee dates, and I've reached my limit.I can't take anymore tasteless, heavy custards.  There's got to be a  way I can turn this around.  There's got to be a way to take back my love for the custard.
 


I retreated back to my kitchen, threw on the apron and took out my cream, egg yolk and bittersweet chocolate.  It was time to put aside the creme brulee and explore other custard options.  I made the most delicious Mocha Pots de Creme and in doing so, realized that maybe I shouldn't hastily judge a date by his  dessert ordering techniques.

We talking three kinds of custard today.  There's Creme Brulee, Pots de Creme and Creme Caramel.  They're cousins.  They're family, but what's the difference?

Creme Brulee is the richest of the three.  It's made of heavy cream and egg yolks.  This custard cooks up sinfully rich and thick and is finished with a layer of caramelized sugar.  You get to use a blow torch when preparing these beauties.  Few things in life are better than a blow torch.  Fact. 

Pots de Creme are next in line.  They're made with equal parts milk and cream and egg yolks.  This custard bakes up soft and luscious and is meant to be baked and served in it's only little pot.  Darling.

Creme Caramel is the lightest of the three custard cousins.  It's made with whole eggs and well as yolks, whole milk and a smaller portion of cream.  It's meant to be inverted out of its baking ramekin so its rich, amber caramel can pool around it.  You might know this custard best as Flan.  Whatever you call it, it's the egg whites in this custard that give it its structure and make it firm enough to stand on its own.  

All three custards share the same mixing and baking techniques.  What sets them apart is the varying ratio of cream, milk and eggs in each custard.  These variances, though slight, correspond to different results and create custards with different characteristics.  



I made a delicious Mocha Pots de Creme.  Since I don't have little pots, I used simple white tea cups.  The custard came out perfectly soft, like the most glorious chocolate pudding I've ever had.  The coffee flavor is intrenched in the custard but not overwhelming.  Coffee beans are steeped in the hot milk creating one layer of flavor, then shot of espresso is added after the custard is made, creating another layer of coffee flavor.  
The recipe is simple and just brilliant.  A perfect escape from boring restaurant creme brulees.  


*Note:  Joy the Baker does realize that some creme brulees are divine.  It's true.  She's just tired of them.  Ok?  Ok...

Looking for Baking Basics - Part 1? Or, maybe Baking Basics - Part 2?