Creme Brulee

This was my first time attempting Creme Brulee! Creme brulee is pretty much my favourite dessert, and I got a kitchen torch for Christmas, so I had to give it a go! I was a little intimidated because I've had incredible creme brulee, and I wanted mine to be absolutely perfect the first time I tried it! Guess what? It wasn't... But it was CLOSE! Next time I have a few things I need to do differently, so I'll share these tips so yours can be perfect the first time :)

 



 



The original recipe comes from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream (whipping cream)
1/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 teaspoons turbinado (raw) sugar, divided (if you can't get turbinado sugar, you can use regular sugar)

Directions:

Prepare a roasting pan by lining the bottom with a dish towel. Place 4 ramekins in the pan. Fill a kettle, and bring to a boil. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

In a small/medium saucepan, combine 1 cup of the whipping cream, and the sugar and salt. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and it let rest for 15 minutes. Stir in the remaining cup of whipping cream.

Whisk the egg yolks and vanilla together in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of the cream mixture until smooth. Whisk in the remaining cream mixture. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer - this step is important!!! I didn't do it because I don't have a fine-mesh strainer, and my creme brulee suffered. While it turned out delicious and creamy, there were a few small lumps - it hurt the texture and enjoyability (yup, that's a word... :| ). I will be purchasing a strainer before I make it again!

Evenly distribute the custard into the ramekins. Carefully place the pan in the oven and pour enough boiling water into the pan so that it reaches 2/3 of the way up the ramekins. Bake until the custard has set and no longer jiggles when you move it! I took mine out too soon, and the final product wasn't quite as firm as I would have liked it - I will be keeping it in longer next time :)

Place the ramekins on a wire rack for 2 hours to cool. After the custard has cooled, tightly cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 4 hours (I refrigerated overnight, and that worked just as well!).

About 30 minutes before serving, sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of the turbinado sugar evenly over the custard - you can shake the ramekin to distribute the sugar evenly.

Here comes the fun part..... KITCHEN TORCH!!!!

Light your kitchen torch, and put the flame to the sugar until melted and browning. Refrigerate uncovered for another 30-45 minutes.

While it wasn't perfect, I'm very happy with how it turned out! Amazing recipe, and I learned from it!! I am going to try again very soon.

 

Creamy, Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

For Christmas, I got the one thing I've been dying to own since my love for cooking first sparked - a genuine, bona fide KitchenAid Food Processor!!

As soon as I got home from my parent's house, I had to try it out immediately! As fate would have it, I was invited to a potluck that very night, so scalloped potatoes it was.

I've made this recipe (from allrecipies.com) a few times now, and I've tweaked it for ultimate cheesy flavour.

Ingredients

• 4 russet potatoes, sliced very thin (around 1/8 inch wide)
• 1 onion, sliced even thinner than the potato
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups shredded Old Cheddar cheese, divided

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a 1 quart casserole dish.

Layer about half of the sliced potato in the prepared casserole dish, then layer all the sliced onion.

Layer the remaining potato and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, and whisk in the flour and salt. Continue whisking for about a minute.

While whisking, slowly add the milk. Cook until the sauce has thickened, approximately 5 minutes.

Turn off the burner heat, and add 1 1/2 cups of the cheese. Whisk until smooth.

Pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes, and cover with aluminium foil. Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the potatoes are nearly done. Take the foil off for the last bit, and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over it. Bake additional 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes are completely soft, and cheese is browning and bubbly.

I made a double recipe for the potluck, and the time it took to prepare was cut in half! I can't wait to use my food processor for more recipes!!  

Oh, and the scalloped potatoes were a big hit at the potluck :)

 

Shortbread Cookies, Christmas-fied

Yes, I am using more crushed up candy cane in my cookies, and no, I will not apologize; it is DELICIOUS!

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup icing sugar

Several candy canes, crushed

1/2 to 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whisk the flour and salt together in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, 2 or 3 minutes on medium to high speed with your electric mixer. Add the flour/salt mixture and beat at medium speed until combined.

Empty the dough into a small pan - I'm not sure of the dimensions in the one I used, but it can be seen in the picture below! A 8x8 or 9x9 works. If you double the recipe, you can use a cookie sheet. Press the dough into the pan, and use a fork to poke several holes in it. Place pan in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes.

While your shortbread is baking, crush several candy canes. You want the pieces small enough that people aren't breaking their teeth on the cookies (see an example of size in the picture below). I had the candy canes in a plastic zipper bag and used the flat side of a meat tenderizer. I remember Mom banging a heavy cast iron frying pan down on the counter to crush them! Whatever works best for you or lets the most stress out!

When the shortbread is done and the edges are turning a lovely golden brown, sprinkle the 1/2 cup or so of chocolate chips evenly over the cookies (or cookie, at this point).

Put the pan back in the oven for a bit, just until the chocolate starts to melt. Using the flat side of a teaspoon (or a spatula), spread the chocolate over the shortbread. Sprinkle the candy cane on top of the melted chocolate. While the shortbread is still warm, cut into cookies. I got about 2 dozen out of this recipe.

My mom used to make some like this every Christmas, and when I asked my little brother (26 - not that little), who won't be able to make it home for Christmas :'(, what cookies he wanted me to send up to him, these are the ones he requested. I hope they make him feel a little more cozy and full of Christmas spirit while he's away from his family this year!

Candy Cane Icebox Cookies

I used the basic vanilla icebox cookie recipe from America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book, but I made several edits to suit the holiday season!
 

Ingredients

 2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 egg yolks
1 3/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
1/3 cup peppermint chocolate chips, chopped
1/4 cup crushed candy cane
 

Directions

Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium bowl, set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 3-5 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks, vanilla, and peppermint extract until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until evenly incorporated. If you're using a Kitchen Aid mixer, reduce speed to 'Stir', and blend in the peppermint chocolate chips and candy cane. If not, ask for one for Christmas, and use a wooden spoon to stir manually.
 
Divide the dough in half, and roll each portion into a log approximately 8-10 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Cover in saran wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
 

 

 

After the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Shape the log of cookie dough as well as you can, but don't worry if it isn't shaped perfectly. Slice the dough into cookies 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick (decide on a thickness, and try to keep it consistent - you want the cookies to bake evenly). Shape the cookies into a round-ish shape, and place them on the prepared cookie sheets, and bake for around 12 minutes; the edges should just be starting to turn brown.

After you take the cookies out of the oven, leave them on the sheet for about 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy, and try not to eat them all yourself!!

Crispy Oven Fries

These fries are spectacular. Enough said.

Time: Approx. 30 minutes.

Ingredients

2-4 potatoes
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp vegetable oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Pick out 2-4 potatoes (depending on the size - I used 4 last night, but they were pretty tiny), wash, and slice them into wedges. The widest part of the skin-edge should be about 1 cm wide, to ensure maximum crispiness!

In a medium sized bowl, add wedges and vinegar. Fill with very hot tap water, and soak for 5-10 minutes. This softens them a little before they go into the oven, and the vinegar helps with the crispiness.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spread vegetable oil, salt and pepper over a cookie sheet so that these ingredients are evenly distributed.

After the fries have finished soaking, pour out the water, and dry the wedges off using paper towel.

Arrange the wedges on the prepared cookie sheet, and put in the oven for 10 minutes.

  

 

Flip the fries over, and put back in the oven for 5-7 minutes. Put fries in a bowl with paper towel, shake around to remove excess oil, and they are ready to eat! If you're cooking for a family, you might want to double the recipe, they won't last long!

Marinated Grilled Salmon

This dandy recipe comes from my trusty, go-to site, Allrecipes.com. I stuck to the recipe for the most part, with just a few changes.

Ingredients

• 20 oz. salmon fillet
• 1/4 cup peanut oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• dash of salt
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

DirectionsAdd peanut oil, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, green onion, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, sesame oil, and salt together in a medium bowl and whisk.

Place salmon in a glass dish and pour marinade over it.

Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 6 hours.

Preheat a large grill frying pan at medium heat and add vegetable oil. When pan is heated, add the salmon and some of the marinade. Cook for approximately 5-10 minutes per side (depending on your stove), or until it has reached 63 degrees Fahrenheit. Fish will flake when tested with a fork.

Be careful not to overcook! Even if you have your fish in the pan with the heat off, it will continue to cook and lose it's juiciness! If you are waiting on side dishes to finish, remove from the pan as soon as it is cooked, lay on a cutting board and cover with tin foil.

This recipe makes delicious/flavourful salmon! It goes nicely with Carrot Basmati Rice, which can also be found on my blog.

Carrot Basmati Rice

This rice is so delicious; it would pair well with stir fry or any type of Asian inspired dish! I really like the roasted peanuts in it - adds a nice crunch :) I first served it with Grilled Marinated Salmon (the ginger and sesame oil of the salmon compliment it nicely), and then we used the leftovers to make egg fried rice to go with our stir fry last night! My husband  and I LOVED it!



Ingredients

• 1 cup basmati rice
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 roasted peanuts (I just chopped regular peanuts up and browned them in a hot, dry pan)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1 carrot, grated
• salt to taste
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• chopped fresh cilantro (I just used a tiny bit)

Directions

Combine rice and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid, and allow to steam until tender, about 20 minutes.

While rice is cooking, chop the peanuts, and brown in frying pan. Set aside.

Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned golden brown about 10 minutes. Stir in ginger, carrots, and salt to taste. Reduce heat to low and cover to steam 5 minutes. Stir in cayenne pepper and peanuts. When rice is done, add it to skillet and stir gently to combine with other ingredients. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Simple! I love it.. One of my favourite rice recipes so far.. Thanks again to Allrecipes.com :)