Brulées are made to be broken

A Pinch of Salt

By Donna Marie Riani

Oregon is home to more than 220 dairy farms, many family-owned that have been in operation for multiple generations. Of the 36 counties in Oregon, 21 have dairy farms.

Our state also consistently ranks in the top five states in terms of milk quality. So many things go into quality dairy, like the care of the cows, the land they graze on and the quality of the air and water. Oregon creates the ideal conditions for cows to produce high-quality milk. Cows are generally milked two to three times daily and the average cow produces roughly six gallons of milk per day. Around 70 percent of the milk produced in Oregon is shipped around our country and the world.

Milk is a powerhouse of protein, calcium and vitamins and not surprisingly, it is the state beverage of Oregon. It is so much more than a nourishing beverage or a great addition to your morning cup of joe, it’s the beginning of so many other tasty things, like cheese, yogurt, butter and ice cream.

When thinking of dairy desserts, you might think of ice cream sundaes or milkshakes. My mind immediately thinks of Crème Brulée. This French dessert is an ultra-creamy custard with a crunchy sweet caramelized sugar topping that shatters when you crack it with your spoon. I can confidently say, without exaggerating, that I have made several hundred Crème Brulées throughout my life. The ingredients include heavy cream, which is the thick part of the milk that rises to the top because of its high fat content. It’s all this lovely fat and the addition of egg yolks that makes this decadent dessert so creamy. The most expensive part of making Crème Brulée is the vanilla bean, but I personally use vanilla bean paste, which contains all the same pretty vanilla bean specks. It’s cheaper than the cost of vanilla beans but it delivers the same strong flavor. You can find it in most major grocery stores.

Crème Brulée really isn’t hard to make. You have to follow the directions and don’t look for shortcuts. You can’t rush the process. It's just five ingredients, but they come together to create something special. This is one of those desserts that people tend to think of as a special occasion dessert, but I say make it whenever you like and make any occasion special.

Crème Brulée

2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

5 large egg yolks

1/3 cup white granulated sugar plus more to caramelize on top

1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Put the heavy cream in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. When the cream starts to simmer, turn the heat to low, stirring frequently. You are not boiling the cream — you are bringing it to a simmer and making sure the cream is hot. This will take one to two minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

In a medium mixing bowl, add the vanilla bean paste, egg yolks, sugar and salt. Mix until the mixture looks creamy.

Very slowly (about two tablespoons at a time) add the hot cream to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. If you add the hot cream too quickly you will end up scrambling the egg yolks. Once you’ve added about half the cream to the yolk mixture, you can pour it in quicker as the yolks will be tempered at this point.

Put the custard through a fine-mesh sieve to make sure your mixture is smooth and free of any accidently scrambled egg bits.

Pour the custard mixture into four five-ounce ramekins, being sure to fill them only three quarters full. Place the filled ramekins into a baking pan. Carefully pour boiling water into the baking pan so it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Be careful not to get water into the custard.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the custard is set but there is still a tiny jiggle in the center of each when you gently shake the ramekins. Remove the ramekins from the water and place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, place plastic wrap over the ramekins and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To serve: Sprinkle a generous spoonful of granulated sugar evenly over each custard. If you have a culinary torch you can carefully torch the sugar or you can use your broiler set on high. Just keep an eye on them. Sugar goes from golden brown to burnt in the blink of an eye!

Note:  For this recipe you can mix by hand with a whisk or you can use a handheld electric mixer on low speed.