White Espresso Creme Brulee

Happy Monday, friends! Summer is almost over and I am kind of sad about it! Even though it’s been hot, I truly like it. I grew up in heat and it feels normal to me. Most nights my fiance and I just go out and sit in our courtyard for a while, just people watching and soaking up the cooler evening weather. It’s become one of my favorite things, and I think my fiance just appeases me. Oh well! We are well underway on our bathroom remodel project. A few weekends ago, he and I took a hammer to the old tile and I learned how to demo! I was pretty scared at first. I’m really not sure what I was scared of, maybe the loud noise just freaked me out or random debris flying everywhere. It didn’t take much time to get the hang of it and pretty soon we were both just hammering away. We had our plumber come out and install the new bath tub and move some pipes around, and next week we’ll get into the tile. Well, he will. I’ll make sure to post some before and after pictures when it’s all said and done!

This recipe is a fancy name for coffee flavored. Around the pastry world this “white espresso” term has been thrown around a lot and it’s really just coffee flavor that still appears light or white. I took some whole coffee beans and broke them up in a ziplock bag. Then I let the coffee beans steep in some cream to infuse. I strained the coffee beans out and prepared the creme brulee as I normally would, and viola! It’s not too strong, but has a subtle coffee flavor similar to the taste of Kahlua. Try this one out, you won’t be sorry!

White Espresso Crème Brulee

Yield 4 ramekins

Cream 16 oz.

Sugar 4 oz.

Egg yolks 6 (3.75 oz)

Whole Coffee Beans ¼ cup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Set 4 ramekins inside a bigger baking dish.

Place coffee beans in a ziplock bag and roll over them with a rolling pin to crush them up a little. Place coffee beans, and cream in a small sauce pot and steep for 15 minutes. Strain out coffee beans and return cream to the sauce pot.

In a separate bowl, whisk yolks and sugar together.

Heat cream on medium high and right before it boils, turn heat off and temper in yolk mixture. Immediately pour base into prepared ramekins. Pour about 3-4 cups of hot water in the baking dish so the custard can bake in a water bath. Cover baking dish with foil and punch holes in foil to vent.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until custard has set and is no longer liquid in the center. Chill for 8+ hours.

Sprinkle some sugar over top, brulee with a torch, and enjoy!