Buddha’s Hand Crème Brûlée

After I was thoroughly impressed with the citrus-y floral notes of Buddha’s Hand, I cannot shake the idea of using it in a custard, off my head. It was going to be either a flan, a brûlée, or a pudding. I was itching to use the new blow-torch I had recently bought. And, crème brûlée was the clear winner. Here is ‘2’ of 1-in-3 – Buddha’s Hand Citron.

Ingredients

Egg yolks – 4
Sugar – 1 tsp + 3 tbsp
Salt – 1/8 tsp
Half and half – 2 cups
Nonfat dry milk – ½ cup
Buddha’s Hand zest – 1 tsp

Sugar – 6 tbsp, for sprinkling over the top

Method

Preheat oven to 300F. Whisk egg yolks, 1 tsp of sugar and salt together and set aside.

In a medium pan, pour half-and-half, along with 3 tbsp of sugar, zest and dry milk. Whisk occasionally while the mixture gently heats. Heat until tiny bubbles form around the edge. Remove from heat and gradually whisk in the milk mixture to egg mixture. Mix thoroughly, strain and pour into 6 ramekins.

Place the ramekins in a large baking pan and pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 45- 50 minutes or until the crème brûlée is just set, and the center wiggles when shaken. Remove ramekins from the water bath and cool at room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to serve, spread evenly 1 tbsp of sugar on the top of each ramekin. Use a blow torch to caramelize the sugar evenly. Alternately, place the custard under a broiler to blister. Allow brûlée to sit for 2 minutes before serving.

As you can see, I am still learning to use the torch, but I was amused to watch the sugar crystals caramelize, right in front of my eyes. I am sending this to Helen at Tartelette, who is hosting Sugar High Fridays – Citrus this month. Jennifer of The Domestic Goodness is the creator of this event.

TECHNORATI TAGS: Dessert, Buddha's Hand, Creme Brulee