Raspberry Creme Brulee

I'm not sure what prompted me to try this creme brulee recipe. I think it must have been the raspberries. Its not that I wouldn't want to make a creme brulee recipe, but I am seriously in love with the creme brulee recipe from the Culinary Institute of America that I have been making for years. To me it was the epitome of perfection. I recently watched Ina make this recipe and it reminded me of a local restaurant, Adelmos that makes the most wonderful raspberry creme brulee. I was already making Beef Burgundy for our anniversary and thought creme brulee would be a perfect ending since its one of my husband's favorite desserts. My original creme brulee recipe is a bit time consuming so this one worked out since it had very few steps. I can honestly say this recipe was amazing! One of those jaw dropping, wow this is good experiences! I was honestly sad that I halved the recipe and we had no more of these delicious custards to eat! Raspberries and creme brulee are just a perfect combination together. Now, I'm torn about which recipe is my favorite. My husband said he would have to try them both back to back. I'm not sure I'm going to be having a creme brulee tasting any time soon but at least now I have two absolutely decadent recipes to chose from! I should have gotten a picture, they were really beautiful, but I wanted to enjoy a romantic anniversary dinner and not worry about picture taking! So you will have to use your imagination! My husband and I have had six amazing years together and I am looking forward to celebrating our 50th one day!

A couple notes about the recipe: Several reviewers on the Food Network site stated that Ina added cardamom to the creme brulee on the show, however, its not listed in the recipe. I could not recall so I made the recipe as is and it was perfect. Also, I made one change. I used 1 tsp of vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract. I just think creme brulee should have pretty little flecks of vanilla in it!



Raspberry Creme Brulee

1 extra - large egg
4 extra - large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for each serving
3 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons framboise liqueur
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I used 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste)
1/2 pint fresh raspberries

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of the sugar together on low speed until just combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in a small saucepan until it's very hot to the touch but not boiled. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Add the framboise and vanilla. Distribute the raspberries among 6 (6 to 8 - ounce) ramekins and then pour the custard mixture into the ramekins until they're almost full. (I use a large glass measuring cup for easy pouring.)

Place the ramekins on a sheet pan and carefully pour hottest tap water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are just set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate until cold.

To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar caramelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.

Source: Ina Garten/Food Network