Better Homes And Gardens Creme Brulee Pie

ShyMan/iStock

The great dishes of the world may seem to have a mysterious aura about them, but only because they seem too difficult to be achievable by ordinary mortals. Actually, there is no black magic used in their preparation. A little bit of know-how is all it really takes. You too can produce these great recipes with a moderate amount of attention to technique.

The first of our classic dishes to add to your repertoire is crème brûlée. Translated literally, that means "burned cream," but it's not really that at all. It is the smoothest, richest custard you've ever tasted, topped by a crisp, crackly, brown crust — the contrast of textures being one of its chief delights. And it's the crust that is "brûlée," which means that the brown sugar with which you cover your custard is caramelized to just the right degree. But whatever you call it, it's a spectacular dessert.

I am quite willing to admit that making crème brûlée is a tricky business, but I am not willing to call it hard. All that's required, really, is care and constant attention to the process at hand. So let's begin!

Crème Brûlée

Serves 6

The quantity stated here is just right for a 7 1/2-inch Pyrex pie plate. If you're making it for a large party, however, and want a truly stunning effect, you can double the recipe and do it in a big, shallow dish of any kind you choose, providing only that it can be baked in and withstand broiler heat for the brûlée process. Try to have the custard 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep in the baking dish.

1 pint heavy cream

1 tablespoon sugar

Yolks for 4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Light brown sugar

Heat cream in double boiler, covered, until hot, but not scalding. Remove from heat. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Beat egg yolks thoroughly and beat into cream with a wire whisk. Add vanilla and stir in well. Pour into 7 1/2-inch Pyrex pie plate. Set in a pan of water and bake in 300 degree F oven until set (50 to 60 minutes). Cool. Chill thoroughly in refrigerator.

Here's the detailed, step-by-step sequence on how to do the above:

1. Have the water in the bottom of your double boiler hot, but not boiling. Test the cream by dropping a bit on your finger to be sure it is actually hot. The right degree of heat will be achieved in 5 to 7 minutes, but be sure to look at it frequently to see that it is not reaching the scalding stage (tiny bubbles around the edge).

2. Be sure that the sugar is entirely absorbed by the hot cream, stirring until you feel that it's gone — no grittiness left.

3. I find the custard bakes best on the middle shelf of the oven. If the top gets slightly golden brown in color, that's no harm, but if it begins to look really brown, there's something wrong with your oven regulator, and you should turn the heat down a bit.

4. The only sure way to tell whether your custard is properly set is to insert a round-ended knife into the middle of it. The knife must come out clean, clean, clean. If it even looks damp, the custard is not quite done. Mine usually takes 55 minutes, but occasionally is done a tiny bit before that; at other times it takes a little longer, though never more than an hour altogether.

5. "Chill thoroughly" really means thoroughly. It's best to make your custard the day before you're going to serve it and refrigerate it overnight. It should be icy when the broiling process takes place.

Now, you're ready for the tricky part — the topping. Have ready 3/4 cup of light brown sugar, which you have carefully put through a sieve. (After sieving, let it fall lightly into the cup. Do not press it down, or you'll have too much and besides, pressing will start it lumping again.)

Sprinkle sieved sugar 1/4-inch thick over every bit of the top of your custard. Do this lightly. Do not press down on it, but be sure that you can't see a bit of custard from the top when it's finished. Preheat your broiler. Adjust broiler rack 6 inches (or a little more, if you like) from the heat. Put in the crème and watch it like a hawk, turning it around occasionally to be sure that the browning is even. You want a fine, just-darker-than-golden crust, which takes about 3 to 4 minutes to achieve. The minute you have that, remove from broiler, cool a few minutes, and refrigerate again. You should refrigerate the crème brûlée for at least two more hours, and twice that will do no harm.

1. The sugar must be light brown. The dark variety is too strongly flavored and doesn't caramelize easily.

2. Sieving the sugar is most important. A brand-new box will have some lumps in it and even though they're small, they will give you an uneven surface, inclined to burn on the high spots and be undercooked on the low ones.

3. When you come to the browning, do not be frightened. It is not difficult to achieve the result you want. It simply requires paying undeviating attention. Never take your eyes off the dessert. And to make doubly sure, pull it all the way out a couple of times to check the color away from the light of the broiler. If you stop watching for one second, you may let it burn.

Just before spooning or slicing it, tap the crisp, browned top with the back of your spoon to break up the solid glaze into manageable, bite-size pieces.

This article originally ran in the January 1958 issue of House Beautiful and was written by Charlotte Adams.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io