The holiday food (and for most of us that means eating) season is soon to reach its gluttonous peak as the final week of the year barrels down upon us.
We here at team Chi Wulff hope you have special times planned with friends and family upcoming; we also trust you have some holiday season food favorites you’ll be enjoying.
Being creatures of habit (as are many of our fly fishing brethren) we’re once again making up a big batch of our Christmas Eve Tamales (you still have plenty of time to get yours done). We’ll probably be doing that tonight if Fire Girl Jess can manage to overcome an early winter-killed car battery and get to Rock Springs to catch her plane in the wee hours this morning.
Our crew has chosen a favorite boeuf bourguignon for our ‘put on the dog’ holiday meal this year (it’s a dandy and doesn’t require a whole danged day in the kitchen); that along with several batons of french bread crisp and hot from the oven and a bottle of a nice red will make the day.
When I surveyed the crew and offered several desert options, including a very, very good chocolate mousse recipe, hands down they insisted it be this recipe for the best creme brûlée any of us have tasted anywhere – Christmas Coffee Creme Brûlée.
Previously we’d all thought that the best on the planet was in the La Provence restaurant in Big Fork, but this is better. Creamy and rich, not cloying and subtly flavored, this is a prime time desert fit for any table.
And don’t tell anyone, but it’s shamefully easy.
4 cups whipping cream
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. espresso coffee beans, ground coarsely
2 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3 tbsp. sugar6 large egg yolks
1 large egg
Build the flavor. Stir together the cream, first cup of sugar, ground espresso beans, espresso powder, cinnamon stick together in a large saucepan. Scrape the beans from the vanilla bean and add to the mixture then drop the bean in.
Heat over medium heat until just boiling, stirring to dissolve the sugar and espresso powder. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for an hour.
Egg ‘em on. Preheat the oven to 325. In in large bowl whisk the egg yolks and the egg to blend well; strain (fine mesh sieve) the cream mixture into the eggs, whisking to combine.
Into the oven. Divide the mixture into eight 3/4 cup custard cups placed in a large roasting pan. (We have the best results – creaminess – using cups of smaller diameter and a bit deeper.) Pour hot water into the roasting pan to reach half way up the sides of the cups.
Bake until the center of each custard moves only slightly when shaking; for us that’s anywhere from 35-45 minutes (even though our original recipe suggested 50-55). Cool, refrigerate for at least 4 hours, uncovered.
Caramelize away. Sprinkle roughly a teaspoon of sugar on each custard; fire up your trusty plumbing torch (kitchen torch for you more refined types) and caramelize the sugar until toasty brown and confluent. (Yes, this can be done under the broiler, but you’ll soften the custard a bit…)
Serve.
