White Chocolate Crème Brulée

Happy New Year, everyone! To celebrate 2014 I decided to prepare a special dessert: Crème brulée. Basically it's a cold custard with a thin layer of caramelized sugar on top.  It's very good and  quite easy to make. To caramelize you can use a blowtorch (my mom has one, so I thought it was fun to do), but you can also put the desserts briefly under the grill. It's up to you. Have a nice 2014!!!

White Chocolate Crème Brulée

Serves 6
Action: 20 minutes/ Total: 60 minutes, plus waiting

2 cups /500 ml heavy cream
3.5 oz/ 100 g good quality white chocolate (we used Green & Black's with vanilla)
5 egg yolks
25 g granulated white sugar, plus extra for topping
powdered sugar (optional)

Extra: 6 small ramekins, blowtorch (optional), piece of paper and scissors (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 300 F/150 C. Break the white chocolate into pieces. 

2. Bring the cream to a simmer (just below the boiling point). Take the pan from the heat, add the chocolate, and whisk until it is melted. 

3. In a bowl whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until it looks pale and smooth.  

4. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the warm chocolate cream and mix until it is absorbed. Now stir in the remaining chocolate mixture. 

5. Place the empty ramekins in a baking pan or roasting tray and pour boiling water halfway up the sides, but not in the ramekins.

6. Pour the chocolate mixture into the ramekins. Place in the oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes until it is set but still a bit wobbly in the center. Allow to cool and chill in the fridge for several hours.

7. Before serving, sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of sugar on top of each dessert. Use a blowtorch to caramelize the  sugar, or (if you don't have such a blowtorch) put the ramekins briefly under a hot grill. Watch them carefully because they burn quickly and easily!! Put the crème brulées in the fridge for several minutes before serving (this will harden the caramel on top).

8. Optional: If you want you can  cut '2014' (or something else) out of a piece of paper like  I did. Put the paper on top of each dessert and sprinkle some powdered sugar with a little sieve over it. 

Happy New Year!!!

  

White Chocolate Semifreddo with Pomegranate Seeds

Today I made our Christmas dessert: white chocolate semifreddo. A semifreddo is a very popular dessert in Italy and France. In France it's not called a semifreddo, but a parfait. First I wanted to make a custard which is usually the base of semifreddo. But, since custard can easily go wrong, it didn't work out the way I wanted it to. Therefore, I decided to make an easier semifreddo which cannot go wrong. It is just a matter of whisking and combining everything. Merry Christmas, everyone!

White Chocolate Semifreddo

Dessert, serves 10 / Action Time: 25 minutes, Total: 6 hours and 25 minutes

7 oz/ 200 g good quality white chocolate (we used Greens & Black's with vanilla), in pieces
4 eggs, separated

50 g granulated sugar

2 cups/ 500 ml heavy cream
1 small pomegranate or 1/2 big pomegranate 

Extra: loaf pan (4 x 9 inch/10 x 24 cm lang), plastic wrap

1. Prepare everything by putting the chocolate into a double boiler (or use a heatproof bowl),  the egg whites into a bowl; the egg yolks together with the sugar into another bowl, and the cream into a third bowl. Sprinkle the loaf pan with some water and line with overhanging plastic wrap.

2. Melt the chocolate au Bain-Marie. Put the bowl on a pan with boiling water in it. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bowl. Melt the chocolate slowly on a low temperature. Stir from time to time. Remove from the heat.

3. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are white and have stiff peaks. 

4. In a little bowl whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture is pale and thick and the sugar has dissolved.  In a third bowl beat the cream almost stiff (I didn't take a picture of this).

5. Gently fold the egg yolk mixture and melted chocolate into the beaten cream. 

6. Now, fold the cream mixture into the egg whites. 

7. Spoon into the prepared loaf pan and smoothe the surface. Fold over the overhaning plastic wrap and freeze for about 6 hours (or overnight). 

8. Take the pomegranate seeds out of the pomegranate (with your fingers). Remove all the white, because this will taste bitter.

9. Take the semifreddo out of the freezer, take it out of the pan, and unwrap it. Cut it in slices and sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds. 

Merry X-mas!