Nordstrom’s Crème Brulee

This is another favorite recipe of ours.  We made this for Dad (Bryan) once and he talked about it for days!  It has simple ingredients and is not too difficult.  The vanilla beans add fantastic flavor and it is NOT the same with vanilla extract so splurge for the beans!

Ingredients: 

6 large egg yolks

¾ c. sugar, plus more for sprinkling

3 c. heavy whipping cream

1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise

½ pint raspberries

3 Tbsp. shaved white chocolate

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 300°.  Have ready six ¾-cup ovenproof custard cups or ramekins set in a baking pan large enough to hold them without crowding.  
• In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and ¾ cup sugar until pale yellow and fairly thick.  
• In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream and vanilla bean and heat just until steam rises.  Cover the pan, remove from the heat, and let steep for 10 minutes.  
• Remove the vanilla bean, and with the flat side of a paring knife, scrape out the seeds.  Return the seeds to the cream and discard the pod.  
• Whisking constantly, gradually drizzle the cream into the egg yolk mixture, continuing to whisk until smooth and well blended.  (If the cream is too hot, the eggs will curdle.)  
• Divide the cream mixture evenly among the custard cups.  Pour hot water into the baking pan to reach halfway up the sides of the bowls / ramekins.  Bake the custards until they are just set – a little wobbly in the middle but definitely not runny when the baking pan is nudged – 25 to 30 minutes.  
• ***If your oven heats unevenly, you may need to rotate the pan 180 degrees at the halfway point.  Remove the ramekins from the water bath, let cool on wire racks, and then cover and refrigerate until the custards are chilled.  
• About 10 minutes before serving, adjust the oven rack so it’s 5 to 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the broiler, OR use a crème brulee torch.  Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of sugar evenly over the top of each custard.  Place the custards under the broiler and, watching carefully, broil until the sugar is caramelized and a thin, glasslike coating forms on top, 1 to 2 minutes.  If using a crème brulee torch, torch each custard until you get the same result as using the broiler.  Serve at once, garnished with raspberries and white chocolate.  Makes 6 servings.

*This recipe often takes almost 50 minutes to bake.  Keep an eye on it and check it about every 5 minutes after 25 minutes.

Buttermilk Syrup

So, so delicious. Just make sure you use a large enough pot so that when you add the baking soda it doesn't foam over. I'm speaking to you as a man who has made this mistake and had to deal with the sticky consequences.

1 c. Sugar

1/2 c. Buttermilk

1/2 c. Butter

1 t. Vanilla

1/2 t. Baking Soda

Mix sugar, buttermilk and butter and bring to a boil. Once it boils, remove from heat.

Then add vanilla and baking soda.

Challah French Toast

Makes 8 large slices

Mom made this for us when Missy and I went to watch conference at their house. It made a real impact on me. This is Sunday breakfast with the volume turned up. You can use leftover challah from the freezer, and the orange zest comes from the oranges you’re going to squeeze for fresh juice. The rest you probably have around the house. And your family will love you.

6 extra-large eggs

1 1/2 cups half-and-half or milk

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon good honey

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 large loaf of challah or brioche bread

Unsalted butter

Vegetable oil

TO SERVE

Pure maple syrup or buttermilk syrup

Good raspberry preserves (optional)

Sifted confectioners’ sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, orange zest, vanilla, honey, and salt. Slice the challah in 3/4-inch-thick slices. Soak as many slices in the egg mixture as possible for 5 minutes, turning once.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a very large saute pan over medium heat. Add the soaked bread and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Place the cooked French toast on a sheet pan and keep it warm in the oven. Fry the remaining soaked bread slices, adding butter and oil as needed, until it’s all cooked. Serve hot with syrup, raspberry preserves, and/or confectioners’ sugar.