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Creme Brulee

An ode to the blowtorch By LEAH A. ZELDES Food Editor / Life Newspaper

Quick! Name a trendy dessert of the '90s!

If you didn't say tiramisu, that ubiquitous Italian pudding, or mention the soft-centered fudgy confection that goes by several different names but is perhaps best described as "chocolate ooze cake," chances are you said "creme
Brulee."

The rich, silky custard topped with a brittle, glassy crust of caramelized sugar is probably not French, despite its name. Spain, which calls the dessert "crema catalana," also lays a claim. And under the jolly old English name, "burnt cream," it appeared on British menus as far back as the early 18th century. The French term, likely some chef's attempt to add cache to his menu, appeared later.

In this country, it's been a Louisiana favorite for more than half a century, but what probably started creme Brulee on its path to national popularity was its 1982 appearance on the menu at Le Cirque in New York. Not long after that, it made its way to Chicago -- this writer fondly remembers consuming many portions of "burnt cream" at Hackney's in Wheeling in the mid-1980s -- but it only achieved trend status in the past few years.

Now creme Brulee is showing up on menus all over town in myriad variations -- from the classic vanilla to chocolate to ginger to pumpkin to orange -- and has made the blowtorch into one of the decade's most sought-after kitchen tools.

"Thank God for blowtorches!" says Chef Jason Tsoris, who turns out dozens of the custards each day at Quincy Grille on the River, 200 S. Wacker Drive -- even though his restaurant mainly serves lunch (they open for dinner on Lyric Opera nights only). Tsoris does several variations of creme Brulee.

The crackly topping, which in the ideal creme Brulee is smooth as glass and shatters into jagged shards when struck with a spoon, can be achieved under a broiler or by branding with a heated iron called a "salamander" or "spider," but the blowtorch is the fastest and easiest method.

Propane-fueled blowtorches are available at hardware stores for under $20. Somewhat more costly ones are sold at kitchenware shops.

To use one, sift a thin, even layer of sugar over the custard, and with a slow, sweeping motion, pass the flame across the surface of the sugar, turning the ramekin as you go.

"As it browns, you spin it so it doesn't touch one spot," Tsoris says. As soon as one spot is glossy brown, move to the next. "Keep spinning and turning."

"Hold the blowtorch about 8 inches away from the custard," Tsoris advises, "otherwise you taste the flame."

If the idea of open flame scares you, you can caramelize the sugar in the broiler, but it requires a very hot one. Fill a baking dish with crushed ice and nestle the sugared ramekins in the ice. Put the dish under the broiler, positioned so the tops of the custards are 2 to 3 inches from the heat. It should take 3 to 4 minutes for the sugar to caramelize. Watch carefully, so they don't burn.

It's cheating, perhaps, but another way to achieve that glassy coating is to boil the sugar. Dissolve the sugar in 1/2 cup water in a saucepan and cook over low heat until the mixture caramelizes and reaches about 300 degrees, the hard-crack stage. Pour it over the tops of the custard. Then refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Most chefs prefer granulated sugar for the topping. Brown sugar adds a bit more flavor, but because it is too moist to sift, it must be dried before using.

Although the custard can be made a day or two ahead, the caramelizing can't be done much more than an hour before serving or it will lose its crunch. Some cooks like to serve it immediately after caramelizing, so the custard under the crust is still warm. Others prefer to return it to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes or so. Do whatever fits your taste or schedule.

Creme Brulee Tips
Use the heaviest whipping cream you can find. Use ovenproof glass or ceramic ramekins, cups or bowls (not crystal). Wide, shallow dishes offer a broader surface, for creating more of the lovely, crystalline crust. Always bake custards in a water bath, also called a bain marie, to shield them from harsh direct heat. Use a roasting pan for deep cups or a 1-inch-high baking pan for shallow ones. For ease in handling, set the pan for the water bath on the oven shelf, add the custard cups and then carefully pour in warm water to reach halfway up the cups' sides. Test for doneness by wiggling a ramekin; the custard should wobble like gelatin.

If a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, the custard is probably overcooked; in this case, remove the ramekins from the hot-water bath immediately and set them an ice-water bath to stop the cooking. To use brown sugar for caramelizing, spread the sugar in a baking pan and set in a warm, but turned-off oven to dry, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a zipper-type freezer bag and crush fine with a rolling pin. Store airtight till ready to use.