Recipes for desserts and appetizers

There are many reasons why people like crème brûlée. On the one hand, the interplay between the cream and the sugar layer, which achieves a crunchy consistency through caramelization, is fascinating. On the other hand, the delicate aromas of vanilla and eggs are enticing, spreading the perfectly cooled cream with the still warm caramel.

For me, crème brûlée is one of the best desserts. I enjoyed this classic for a long time, especially in French restaurants, until I dared to try it in my kitchen. There you go: crème brûlée is quick and easy to make.

Bring the cream and milk to a boil, let cool slightly. Meanwhile, mix the eggs and sugar. Add the cream and milk mixture to the eggs and continue to beat. Pour the mixture into four heatproof bowls and cover with cling film or aluminum foil.

In a steamer or steam cooker: Place the ramekins in the perforated tray and steam at 90 degrees for 25 minutes.

in the oven: Line the gratin bowl with a kitchen towel, place the covered bowls on top. Pour water into the boiling dish until the gratin molds are about 2/3 full of water. Cook in the oven at 170 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Let the molds cool with the cream. To finish: sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of sugar on top of each ramekin. Caramelize with fire. If you don’t have a fire, you can caramelize the sugar under the grill.

Variations: The milk and milk mixture can be flavored as desired, for example with a vanilla bean, tonka beans or a cinnamon stick.

An alternative is to replace the sugar with honey (4 tablespoons for 4 ramekins). This cream is also caramelized with sugar, and then roasted pine nuts can be sprinkled on if desired.

If you want to give the crème brûlée an orange flavor, you can add an orange liqueur (4 tablespoons to 4 rams) to the milk and cream mixture. 1 tablespoon of orange peel can be distributed in each mold as desired. This can be pre-soaked in orange liqueur. This crème brûlée can be decorated with orange peel after caramelizing.

Sweet and salty flavors are particularly interesting

The desire to experiment increased after receiving a batch of crème brulée as a gift with a recipe booklet. He also received unusual ideas for dishes that can be served not only as desserts, but also as starters. The basic ingredients always remain the same: cream, milk and eggs. And the preparation remains the same after dividing the cream into molds.

Creme brulee with scallops is noble. Depending on the size of the mold, a scallop is fried and cut into strips. This is used to line the bottom of the mold. Then you can season the mussel with salt and pepper and sprinkle with finely grated lemon peel. Also, the cream and milk mixture gives it a lemon flavor when boiled.

After steaming or baking, this cream should also be cooled. The rest, 1 spoonful of sugar is added to each mold and a little salt – the amount depends on your taste, but salt can be added to taste. The sugar caramelizes and finally you can rub the lemon peel back on.

If you want to try another interesting combination of different flavors, you can try the following recipe:

Divide the dried fruit and nuts into the molds. Boil the milk and cream, cut the Roquefort into small pieces and melt it there. Allow to cool slightly. Meanwhile, beat the eggs, slowly pour the milk, cream and cheese mixture over the eggs and continue to beat. Pour this mixture over the dried fruit in the moulds.

The cream is cooked according to the basic recipe. As an extra, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar on top of each mold and caramelize it in the oven over the fire or under the grill.

The topping doesn’t always have to be sugar

However, sugar is not suitable for making what is called crème brûlée, meaning “burnt cream”. In this next recipe, butter, cheese and breadcrumbs take on the task of giving the bite that special something. It is the most complex of all the recipes presented here, and it is still worth trying.

Cook the peppers in the oven at 200 degrees until the skin is black. Then put it in a plastic bag, seal it and let it cool. The shells can then be easily removed. Remove the peppers and cut into thin strips. Place in four heatproof bowls and season generously with salt and pepper. If you like it spicier, you can add some chilli.

Pour the milk and cream into a pan, cut the garlic into slices and add it. Bring everything to a boil, season with salt and pepper, then leave to cool slightly – then remove the garlic. Meanwhile, beat the eggs, slowly add the milk and cream and continue beating. Pour the mixture evenly into the molds and let them cook as described in the basic recipe.

After the molds have cooled, mix the parmesan, breadcrumbs and butter. Distribute evenly between the molds and gratinate on the grill or on the fire.

Prepare the day before – the wow effect is guaranteed

As soon as the crème brûlée is ready, it pays to be patient until it cools down enough. The combination of fresh cream and hot topping is one of the reasons I love this dessert.

The cream – to start or as a dessert – is ideal when guests are expected. Preparatory work Preparatory work can be done in advance, for example, the day before. And when the guests are there, the topping is added. The wow effect is almost certain.