Sinful but Nice, Clotted Cream Brûlee with Grenadine Rhubarb.

Clotted Cream Brûlee with Grenadine Rhubarb is a great dinner party dessert. It’s both light and rich at the same time. The sharp, sweet fruit cutting through the rich comforting cream of the brûlee. What’s even better, you can make both components the day before. Leaving only the glazing of the brûlee to be done on the day. I have always had a fondness for clotted cream. Going back to my days in the west country where we used to collect it straight from the farm. The shop bought version is not the same but works perfectly for this.

You will need.

2 medium sized Pyrex bowls

A suitable saucepan- see below

Whisk

Flat bottomed heatproof silicone spatula

Probe thermometer

Fine strainer

Suitable serving containers.

Clotted Cream Brûlee.

Makes 4 x 150ml

200ml                          double cream.

150ml                          clotted cream.

80ml                            whole milk.

1                                  vanilla pod.

5 large                         egg yolks.

40g                              golden caster sugar.

                                    Caster sugar to caramelise.

This is not technically a true crème brûlee, as we are not cooking it in the oven. This is a stove-top or cheats brûlee. This method has some advantages. We can add more delicate ingredients into the mix that would be spoilt in the oven. It also allows us to serve the cream in a non-oven proof container. A positive change from the everyday ramekin presentation. These are best made the night before you wish to serve them, so they are fully set for your guests to enjoy. The Food Files page on Eggs will give you more information on eggs and how to use them

How do I cook the Clotted Cream Brûlee?

Choose a saucepan where it’s easy to access the corners of the pan. One with curved edges is ideal. Add the milk and double cream to the pan. Split the vanilla pod and release the seeds from the husk with the back of a knife. Pop the pod and seeds into the liquid and bring the pan to the simmer over a medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to stand to extract the full flavour of the vanilla.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk, together the egg yolks and the sugar until well blended. And insure you have a second clean bowl large enough to take the whole mixture when its cooked. Pyrex is perfect for this and if its possible stand the bowl in some iced water so we can cool the finished mixture quickly

Return the pan to the heat, and as it nears the simmer whisk in the clotted cream, do not let the pan boil.

Give the egg and sugar mix one last beat then pour the hot clotted cream into the egg-sugar mixture, whisking constantly. Tip the mixture to the pan scraping it all out of the bowl with the spatula ten set the pan over a medium heat. Cook the mix stirring all the time with the flat – bottomed spatula. Do not use any spoon shaped tool for this. Too little of the pan’s base is touched by a curved tool. Resulting in the contents of the pan sticking to the bottom and burning.

Clotted Cream Brûlee, The Tricky Bit.

Heat the mixture until you see steam starting to rise from the surface. Now pay close attention to the pan as the egg will be close to overcooking. Bring the temperature of the mix to 82°C and cook for three to four minutes. At which point the mix will have become quite thick a little like plain yoghurt. As soon as the temperature reaches 84˚C strain the brûlee into the waiting bowl with the help of the spatula. Give the mix a stir in the bowl to remove the heat as quickly as possible

Now this can all be a bit daunting the first time you try it. The trick is to be well organised; you can’t afford to be looking for things while you are cooking the brûlee. Put the cat out, lock up the kids, tie up the dog, and turn off the phone.

If at any point you think the mixture is getting too hot. Tip it directly into the bowl, if your wrong it doesn’t matter. You just have one more bowl to wash up.

Once the mixture has cooled down a few minutes, fill your serving containers and let them cool completely. Do not cover the containers until completely cool. If you do condensation will form and spoil your attempts at caramelising the surface of the brûlee. This is one occasion when you do want a skin on your custard!

For the Grenadine Rhubarb.

80ml                grenadine syrup.

20                    pieces of rhubarb, split and cut inro 5cm sections on an angle.

Remove the rhubarb with a slotted spoon and continue to reduce your syrup. Remove the syrup from the heat and allow to cool.

You can dip the rhubarb back into the syrup, once both are cool, then remove again. This will help intensify the flavour and hold the shape of the rhubarb pieces.

The best way to glaze a Clotted Cream Brûlee.

‘Burnt Cream’ is a common translation for a brûlee but the very last thing we wish to do is burn it. The target is to produce a light, crisp coating with a rich caramel flavour, which also add texture to the dish

The traditional way of glazing the surface of a brûlee is to set the container into ice and water to keep it cool. Cover the surface with refined sugar and glaze them under the grill. It’s quite messy. Water everywhere and of course useless if you have not served your dish in an oven proof container.

Using a gas blowlamp.

I think the best option use to use a gas blowlamp. They come in all sizes, with the smaller ones been popular at home. I find these a bit small with too narrow a flame to get a nice even glaze on the sugar. Go for a medium sized blowlamp with a removable head. Not only can you use it to glaze your sugar. But they are also ideal for finishing Naan bread, Chapati and of course the BBQ.

To glaze the tops, using a small sieve sprinkle evenly with caster sugar. Don’t overdo the sugar or it will be impossible to dissolve it all. This will result in a sandy texture to the topping and poor flavour.

This process needs to be done close to serving the dessert to avoid the crust becoming soft and chewy. And don’t use brown sugar as many recipes suggest. Only white refined sugar will make caramel, the rest are a poor substitute. Take the blowlamp and get a good fierce flame. Wave the flame over the sugar working back and forth watching the sugar. As the sugar begins to melt sprinkle once more with sugar and return the flame. The trick is to keep the flame moving all the time. Don’t let any one part of the surface get too hot or it will burn. Imagine you are using a can of spray paint and attempting to get a nice even coat of paint without runs. It’s very much the same movement.

Safety.

Using a blowlamp indoors needs care and attention: –

Do Not attempt to tough or eat the dessert until the caramel is completely cooled down. Hot caramel is roughly 185˚c and will give you very nasty burns.

Do Not attempt to glaze or work with cooked sugar with pets or children around.

Be aware of where the flame of the blowlamp is pointing work far away from any flammable items. In fact, when possible, work outside.

When storing the blowlamp always remove the head from the gas canister. This will prevent any slow leakage of gas that may develop.

Clotted Cream Brûlee To Serve (optional)

Chopped skinned pistachio nuts.

Crisp shortbread biscuits.

A rectangular plate suits the dish well if you have one. Lift the rhubarb from the syrup and set a small pile to one end of the plate. Place a brûlee at the other end with a shortbread biscuit propped up against it. Coat the rhubarb with some of the syrup letting it drizzle across the plate and finish with a sprinkle of chopped, skinned pistachio nuts if wished.

F.A.Qs.

Enjoy Life!

John.

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©John Webber. 2023