The night was short.
Our heads had barely begun to fill with dreams when Four Am called for us to wake. The lights stung our eyes as we walked like medicated patients to the lounge room; our heads now filling with dreams of green and gold. It's World Cup time baby.
Our original plans had consisted of sitting in an English-style pub surrounded by exuberant fans and hearty meals. Unfortunately an SMS from a friend at 2am laid those plans to waste as our destination was already at full capacity. Luckily for us we had placed a standing reservation for two on our couch as a backup.
Sadly we trundled back to bed feeling a little defeated, Australia's world cup campaign is not off to a great start, but there is still hope...
Feeling a little worse for wear once I re-awoke at noon, I felt I truly needed to eat my favourite dessert; the heavenly creme brulee. There really are no words to encapsulate the simple joy of cracking through that golden shell into the creamy custard below; every mouthful really is a spoonful of happiness.
ease: 4.5/5.
prep time: 10mins.
cooking time: 30mins in the oven plus at least 6 hours of cooling time, overnight is even better.
total: 40mins plus cooling time.
taste: 4/5. The texture is divine.
The texture for me was spot on; it was cool, and impossibly smooth with a wonderful subtle vanilla sweetness.
The top cracked like a flash of lightening - loud and crisp It crunched delightfully into the luscious custard below like shards of rock into earth.. I used caster sugar for the top as I find it melts and hardens faster and therefore reduces the chance of burning.
The only element I didn't like was the orange. For me the bitterness allayed the sweetness so much that it felt like more of a palate cleanser than a sweet dessert. The orange was a little too robust for my dainty brulee.
would I make it again: Yes - with only the fragrance of a plump vanilla bean next time.
recipe: Orange creme brulee
Gorgeous dish. Beautiful vibrant photos, they jump right off the screen.
ReplyDeleteAustralia...yikes...4-0...not good!
Cheers!
WOW! Breathtaking photo. You've given me the confidence to give the good old creme brulee a go. I've never made one, well, a decent one, never had the courage, but this is definitely going onto the 'Must-Try' list. Love the twist of adding citrus. Yum.
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed a pity we lost - but there are still two more games to go! As for that creme brulee - well - now that's a winner.
ReplyDeleteI am already a huge fan of Creme Brulee but this one looks spectacular! I love the picture as well!
ReplyDeleteThis creme brulee must be so good! What a great choice of flavor!
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Rosa
beautiful photos, love the contrasting colors...
ReplyDeleteI can imagine orange being a little overpowering in creme brulee...
This creme brulee looks delicious. Now if I only had the perfect orange! At least summer is here! Until then, I'll keep making my favorite Raspberry Brulee. Thanks for sharing this! Can't wait to try it!
ReplyDeletei don't think oranges get used in desserts often enough. this is the first creme brulee i've seen featuring the glorious fruit and i like it. i like it a lot!
ReplyDeletebeautiful pics! They looks tasty, i'll have to try that recipe :)
ReplyDeleteWants to get the pictures and eat them!...LOL
ReplyDeleteCreme brulee is a serious favorite of mine. That would totally get me out of bed in the morning after a long night of tense football watching.
ReplyDeletethats a great way to console the heavy heart after that terrible loss. Hopefully the boys over in south africa arent drowning their sorrows with the same dessert, or else it will be another defeat to come!
ReplyDeleteWell, it looks delicious! And I do love orange so am discouraged you thought the orange was a bit too heavy a flavor for your brulee. I'm copying the recipe so will also copy your suggestions.
ReplyDeleteI have a recipe for a lemon brulee that I have been wanting to try. That would be an even stronger flavor. I'll let you know what happens.