Raspberry Crème Brulee – Recipe!

Crème Brulee is one of those desserts I used to make quite often when I worked as a pastry chef and consulted in the restaurant industry because customers enjoy it so much, and it was super cost effective to prepare.  This Raspberry Crème Brulee is a twist on tradition with all the creaminess you would expect, but with some added fruity flavor and an outrageous pink hue.

I thought this dessert would make a great treat for Valentine’s Day, but you could make it for any occasion, especially if you have raspberry lovers in the house.  I used raspberry powder, which is freeze-dried raspberries that have been pulverized into a dust in a food processor — you can find them online or at many stores today.  I think the flavors mimic fresh raspberries and create a cream that’s so gorgeous to present to anyone.  The caramelized sugar crust I did under the broiler, so you wouldn’t have to buy a blow-torch to make this dessert, but I torch would give you a slightly uniform crust on top.

The fruity tang of raspberries and cream taste so delightful together — it would make any dessert lover in your life happy.  You can make these a couple days ahead and brulee the tops right before serving.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup raspberry powder, see above

5 egg yolks

2/3 cup granulated sugar + 1/3 cup for topping

1 drop red food coloring, optional

fresh raspberries for garnish, optional

(Serves 6)

To Prepare:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a saucepan, combine milk and cream and place over medium-high heat.  When milk mixture is simmering, whisk in raspberry powder until mostly smooth.
2. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 2/3 cup sugar.  Remove 1/4 cup warm cream from saucepan, and drizzle into egg mixture, while whisking by the tablespoonful.  *This is called tempering the eggs so they don’t curdled.
3. Add warmed eggs to saucepan with remaining cream mixture and whisk.  Cook until thickened slightly and when you run your finger across back of spoon, you can see a clean line.  Add food coloring and stir.
4. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps of eggs or raspberry bits.  Pour into 4 ounce ramekins.
5. Place on a sheet tray or casserole dish and pour hot water around edges of ramekins to reach 1/2 way up sides.
6. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes, or until custard is set.  Remove and cool. You can chill in refrigerator at this point or serve room temperature.
7. Sprinkle tops with a tablespoon of sugar and brulee under broiler for 5-6 minutes.  Remove and serve.  Enjoy!