FUCKYEAH DESSERT

Dark Chocolate Creme Brulee

Chai Tea Creme Brulee

Creme Brulee with Passion Fruit Topping

Creme brulee, when made right, satisfies the senses in every way possible.  There is the enticing scent of burnt sugar with a hint of real vanilla bean, the defining moment when you first crack your spoon down on the crispy top layer and the elegant, smooth, rich, slightly sweetened custard awaiting your tastebuds at the end.  Perhaps this is the reason why creme brulee is the perfect dessert for any occasion, served at fancy, up-scale restaurants all around the world. It really is pretty simple to make you just have to make sure you follow the directions carefully.

Here is a pretty simple recipe and there shall be more to follow. Remember if you ever need any tips and tricks MESSAGE ME!

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 vanilla bean

1/4 cup white sugar

3 large egg yolks

1 quart hot water

2teaspoons turbinado sugar*

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Split the vanilla bean in half, length-wise and scrape out the pulp using a paring knife. Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well-blended and mixture becomes thick and pale yellow.
• Add the cream in a slow, steady stream, stirring constantly. (To stabilize the bowl so you can pour in the liquid with one hand and stir with the other, wrap the bottom of the bowl with a wet towel or simply place the bowl in the sink over the drain.) Use a spoon to skim off any foam on the top layer of the mixture that resulted from stirring.
• Pour the liquid into four (4-ounce) round ramekins until the liquid just reaches the top of the lower rim.** (Depending on the size, you may be able to fill up to six ramekins.) Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
• Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, about 40-45 minutes.
• Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap or in tupperware if refrigerating overnight.
• Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top just before serving. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon turbinado sugar onto each ramekin and spread evenly on top.* Using a torch, melt the sugar to form a crispy top. Serve plain or with fresh berries on the side.

NOTES:

• I’ve tried using various types of sugars to make the burnt topping and Sugar in the Raw turbinado sugar is my winner. The topping comes out perfect everytime… the crispness is there, the taste is there, the sugar burns evenly, and the amber color adds a nice, finishing touch. If you don’t feel like purchasing an entire bag of Sugar in the Raw, just stop by your local Starbucks and pick up a few packets… one packet is enough to top two ramekins.
• Another thing I’ve noticed in my countless trials and errors is that the vanilla bean specks seem to always settle on the bottom. I discovered a remedy for this by accident when I forgot to skim off the top layer of the foam once before pouring in the liquid. The process is actually quite simple and the extra steps required is well worth not having to see specks of vanilla bean gone to waste on the bottom of the ramekin.

  After scraping off the top layer of foam from the bowl, stir the liquid mixture once around the bowl to bring up the vanilla bean specks and pour the liquid into each ramekin until halfway full. Empty the liquid from each ramekin back into the mixing bowl and wipe the outer rim of each ramekin clean. There will black specks of vanilla bean on the bottom of the ramekins. Now, pour the liquid back into the ramekins as you would have, following the rest of the recipe. You will notice that the black specks of vanilla bean from your initial pouring actually float to the top! Now, you will be able to savor the taste of real vanilla bean in every bite!

Baklava Muffins

Apple Pie Meets Baklava Delicious!!!

Traditional Yummy Baklava <3

New Take on Baklava

Almond Five Spice Baklava

Nutella Baklava (Click through for recipe)

Baklava. Don’t let its scary buttery layers scare you, its not as scary to make as you think. I found out that the key to using phyllo is to first make sure it’s at the right temperature. I had let the dough defrost overnight in her fridge, then I let it set out on the counter for a few hours. Having it at the right temperature will ensure that the sheets won’t crack as you unroll them or stick together.

I made this with my sister this weekend and we both played around with a couple methods of picking up the individual sheets of phyllo. They’re very thin and delicate. We found it was best to slide our hands under it and lift carefully. Once you lay the sheet into the pan, you can make adjustments before coating it with more butter.

One thing I hadn’t realized was that you cut the baklava before you bake it. Then, while it’s hot and just out of the oven, you pour the syrup over the entire pan. We found this recipe to actually be pretty easy. Especially since the syrup and filling can be made ahead of time.

I ended up cutting my pieces in half again so they are more bite-sized. I placed the entire half batch into the freezer and plan to pop them out next time I need a fancy dessert to share.

I will post a few more different ways to make yummy Baklava but here is our favorite recipe.

Chocolate Hazelnut Baklava -

Syrup
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups honey
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa nibs
2 cinnamon sticks

Filling
1 lb whole hazelnuts (blanched if you can find them)
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut in pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

Dough
1 lb box of phyllo, thawed according to package instructions (you won’t use all of it)
1 lb butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, honey, cup of sugar, cocoa nibs, and cinnamon sticks. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat to low, and continue cooking the syrup for 15 minutes. Cool and strain the syrup, and set it aside at room temp.

While the syrup is cooking, toast the hazelnuts in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, shaking them around on the pan occasionally. If you couldn’t find blanched hazelnuts, rub the hazelnuts with a clean kitchen towel to remove the skins.

Once they are cool, place the hazelnuts in a food processor, and process until finely chopped. Dump them into a large bowl.

Add the chocolate and 1/2 cup sugar to the food processor, and process until chocolate is pebbly. Add this mixture to the bowl with the nuts. Stir in the cinnamon, and set the filling aside.

Line a 9-by-13 inch pan with foil, and generously butter the foil.

Carefully cut the phyllo dough in half so you have 9-by-13-inch sheets.

Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough in the bottom of the pan, and brush it with the melted butter. Repeat until you have 8 layers of buttered phyllo in the pan.

Spread 2 cups of filling over the phyllo dough.

Layer 4 more sheets of phyllo dough over the filling, buttering each.

Spread another 2 cups of filling on top.

Layer with another 4 sheets of phyllo, buttering each.

Spread the rest of the filling over the phyllo dough.

Top with another 6 sheets of phyllo, all brushed with butter.

Set the baklava aside for about 30 minutes so the butter can firm up, and then preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the baklava into 3-inch squares. You will have 1 inch extra at one end (this strip makes an excellent snack). Then cut each square diagonally, so you get two triangles out of every square.

Bake the baklava for 25 minutes, and then turn it, lower the oven to 325 degrees, and bake it for an additional 45 to 50 minutes, until golden brown on top.

Transfer the pan to a cooling rack, and immediately ladle the room temperature syrup over the baklava.

Let the baklava cool completely. Use a small spatula to remove the pieces. You may have to go back through with a knife or bench scraper and re-separate the pieces.

Raspberry Swirl cheesecake brownies 

Brownies baked in an egg shell =) So cool. Click through for directions.

Chocolate Wasted Cake