Coffee crème brûlée

Hello there! What are you up to right now?  Still kicking back and savoring memories from Christmas day?  I hope you had a great day, no matter what or how you celebrated.  We had a wonderful holiday.  The day started off early, with a super-excited ten-year old.  After presents were unwrapped (I know presents shouldn't be the focal point of Christmas but it is a pleasure to be able to surprise your child a little bit), we sat down to breakfast.  Despite my attempt to whip up something different for Christmas morning breakfast, the little guy wanted his usual "pancakes and bacon" so we had Dutch baby pancake with a side of bacon, washed down with Barcelona hot chocolate (regular hot chocolate for the little guy).  Ultimately, everyone was happy!

Our Christmas morning toast

The rest of the day is something of a happy blur!  It involved plenty of playing, talking, and eating!  I remember lots of Christmas cookies and what feels like meal after meal. The last few days have essentially been this way on repeat.  We're having fun sitting around the table playing monopoly, Ticket to Ride, and Jenga - mixing old-school games in with xbox time - while munching on all the Christmas goodies Santa and others brought us.  This is indeed a precious and wonderful time.  

I'm still kicking back with my family until New Years and enjoying every moment.  Are you going out for New Year's eve?  Planning a romantic dinner at home, or a loud family gathering?  We stay in, keep things simple, and celebrate the imminent new year with a good meal around the table.  I haven't quite decided what I'm going to cook but I'm thinking seafood.  Dessert is also very important so I have a lot to mull over in the next two days.  

In the meantime, I'll finally get to the subject of my post - a coffee crème brûlée.  It's adapted from My Paris Kitchen, one of the cookbooks I'm getting a chance to visit more thoroughly now that things are quieting down a bit.  Crème brûlée is a great make-ahead dessert and the taste is usually nothing short of luxurious and delightful. This one tastes like Vietnamese coffee, with a delectable flavor combination of sweet caramel from the top layer and a coffee custard beneath.  We use instant espresso (or coffee) powder and Kahlúa to produce the coffee flavor so it's quite simple.  

I love having my husband home during the holidays so I can whip up different treats to share with him.  He is my best taste-tester and cheerleader!  He also has an abundant appetite, and I'm amazed he's been able to maintain his weight in the last few years without much effort or conscious thought.  Let's hope that remains the same in the New Year! 

A quick word on the recipe.  I like to use a relatively lighter combination of half whole milk to half cream for the crème brûlée custard, and I followed that formula with this coffee version.  I think using less cream makes for a somewhat looser custard but I really like it, partly because it lets the flavor shine through a bit more.  

In this case, you get the coffee flavor by simply stirring in instant espresso or coffee powder (I used espresso), along with a little splash of Kahlúa.  The result is really delicious combined with that hard layer of delicious sweet caramel once you apply the sugar on top and work the brûlée magic.  We literally wanted to lick our dish clean!

Recipe:

Coffee Crème Brûlée
Adapted from My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz

- For 2 (approximately 6-ounce) servings - 

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus more (about 1 1/2 teaspoons per serving) for caramelizing
Small pinch of sea salt or kosher salt
2 large egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso or coffee powder
1 teaspoon Kahlúa or other coffee-flavored liqueur

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Bring a kettle of water to a boil and set aside (you want to use hot, not boiling water for the water bath).  Set two 6-ounce ramekins in a baking pan.

Place the milk, cream, sugar, and salt into a small saucepan.  Heat until sugar is melted.  

Whisk egg yolks together in a bowl.  Gradually add the warm cream mixture to the yolks in a steady stream, stirring gently with a whisk (do not whisk too vigorously because you do not want to create foam) until combined.  Mix in the espresso powder (taste, and adjust by adding more espresso powder, if desired).  Strain mixture into a large measuring cup.  Finally, stir in the Kahlúa.

Divide custard into the ramekins.  Carefully pour hot water into the baking pan until water comes about halfway up the side of the ramekins.  Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until custard is set and just barely jiggles when moved.  Remove ramekins from the water bath (a large metal spatula works well), let cool, then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours until firm.

Right before serving, sprinkle each ramekin evenly with sugar, about 1 1/2 teaspoons for each. Use a kitchen blow torch and very carefully caramelize the sugar until you have a layer of dark golden brown caramel.  Let sit for 2 minutes before serving so the caramelized sugar can harden into a thin crispy layer that shatters under your spoon.