THE Recipe Thread

[LagerHead]

So, 'Tis the season and all that. One thing that comes with the holidays, no matter your religious preference, is food, and lots of it. Everyone has something they're especially proud of and your truly is no exception. So let's see those special recipes, whether or not they are holiday related. Here is my contribution.

 

Angel's Envy (Bourbon) Creme Brulee with Caramelized Bacon:

 

Ingredients:

• 1 quart heavy cream
• 1 Vanilla bean
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 8 egg yolks, separated
• 1/2 cup real maple syrup
• 1/4 cup Angel's Envy Bourbon
• 1 lbs. thick cut bacon

Other:

• You will also need several ramekins. When I make this recipe it fills approximately 8
• Cookie sheet and wire rack for cooking bacon or broiling pan
• Tin foil
• Baker's torch

Preparation:

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

 

Pour heavy cream into medium sauce pan. Add 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Split vanilla bean down the middle with a knife and add all the little seeds to the cream. Then add the bean itself. Heat on medium until hot, stirring often. It should be just short of boiling. Look for the first sign of bubbling or steam rising from the cream.

 

While the cream is heating up, separate 8 egg yolks into a bowl. Add maple syrup and bourbon. 

 

Caution: This next step must be done carefully. You are going to add the hot cream mixture (minus the vanilla bean) to the eggs, SLOWLY. You do not want to cook the eggs so you are going to pour the hot cream, again SLOWLY into the egg mixture and stir with a whisk. If you have a large measuring cup you can pour the cream into first this will make it easier. 

 

Next prepare a warm water bath in a baking pan for the ramekins. You might need two pans depending on the size and number of your ramekins. Place the ramekins in the water bath and fill about 3/4 of the way with the mixture. Carefully place in oven at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, or until the mixture has set on the edges but is still slightly jiggly in the middle. 

 

Once the ramekins have cooled enough for you to pick them up, place them in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours to cool and finish setting. 

 

Sometime during the cooling process, prepare your caramelized bacon. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a cookie sheet or broiling pan by cover with tin foil. If using a cookie sheet get a wire rack to place the bacon on while cooking. Prepare the bacon by liberally coating it with brown sugar. Don't be shy, smother it. Cook the bacon in the oven for about 15 minutes, or slightly longer for a little extra crispiness if preferred. Once cooled, chop up into little pieces to "garnish" your creme brulee.

 

After the creme brulee has cooled enough, remove from the fridge. Sprinkle some brown sugar on top and burn with a baker's torch. Here's the key: Don't let the flame touch the sugar. Let the heat cook the sugar into a beautiful candy coating. You can also use white sugar if you prefer (the more traditional method). Cool in the fridge for another 10-15 minutes and top with caramelized bacon. 

 

Enjoy!

 

Words cannot describe how good this is. It sounds like it's difficult to make but there is really less than 30 minutes of actual work to make it. The rest is waiting. 

[crashgordan]

wow.  can't wait to try this...  thanks!  

now i'm looking for something to add to this list besides this:

 

Ice

Single Malt

Low Ball glass

 

combine 1 and 2 in 3.  

 

Be Well

[Metalhead]

To add on adding the hot cream to the eggs - I find adding very small doses of hot liquid at a time to eggs and whisking vigorously works well with almost no risk of botching it. I believe it's called tempering.

 

Video! http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/how-to-temper-eggs-video/85017.html

[whitewolf001]

Outback's signature Mac'n'Cheese, ya know, for when the lil ones want the mac that you BOTH want. :D  I picked this up off of copykat.com

 

 

• 2 cups dry penne pasta
• 8 ounce Velveeta cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Cook pasta according to package directions. Cube Velveeta in small pieces, so it can melt easily. In a small saucepan, combined cubed Velveeta cheese and heavy cream. Turn the heat on low and stir until all cheese is melted. Reduce the heat to simmer until you are ready to combine with the pasta. Once pasta is done, pour back into the pot where it was cooked; add sauce and mix well.

To help keep the cheese from drying out too quickly add olive oil to noodles after straining.

Edited December 3, 2013 by whitewolf001

[MacGyver]

On the subject of Crème Brulee, my new favorite - from Garden & Gun:

 

 

Krispy Krème Brûlée Recipe
 

Ingredients:
6 Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts
1 pint half-and-half
1 quart heavy cream
12 egg yolks
1½ cups sugar
8 packets Sugar in the Raw
 

Preparation:
Puree the doughnuts and half-and-half in a blender until smooth. Combine the heavy cream with the half-and-half/doughnut puree, and heat until scalding (just before boiling).

Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl to combine and dissolve the sugar.

Once the sugar is dissolved, temper the yolk mixture by whisking in a small amount of the hot cream mixture. Once the yolks are tempered, whisk them into the remaining cream mixture. Strain the brûlée base through a fine mesh strainer.
 
Divide the mixture into eight ramekins. Fill until nearly full, and bake in a water bath at 325 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until the custards are set when gently shaken. (Tip: For the water bath, we used a large metal roasting pan and filled it with enough water to meet the halfway-point of the ramekins.) Once set, remove the ramekins from the water bath to cool.  After cooling, dust the top of each with Sugar in the Raw, and caramelize evenly with a kitchen torch or under the broiler until the sugar darkens and bubbles. Set aside to cool (2 to 5 minutes) before serving. This will allow the sugar to harden on top.

 

http://gardenandgun.com/article/krispy-kreme-creme-brulee
 

[Guest Razz]

Here's my recipe for chocolate soufflé. I've been using this recipe in my restaurants for goin' on 12 years. As long as you've got those nice ramekins from LagerHead's custard recipe...might as well use 'em here, too. I recommend cutting this recipe in half but the batter will stay good in your fridge for a week if you make too much.

WARNING: If you make this for any women in your family, you will be expected to make it often, for years to come.

CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE
Makes 20 8-oz servings

​2 pounds Vairhona, chocolate pistols, 56%
​1 pound butter
​2 each whole eggs
​8 each egg yolk
​16 each egg whites
​1 ½ cups sugar
​1 tablespoon cornstarch

1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over simmering water bath
2. In the mixer whisk together the whole eggs, yolks, and half the sugar until thick and pale
3. Fold the sugar & egg mixture into the melted chocolate
4. In the mixer whip the egg whites & the rest of the sugar until soft peaks then add the cornstarch and whip until stiff peaks
5. Fold the whipped egg whites into the chocolate until well combined then place in the cooler until firm and well chilled, then wrap with seran
6. Once the mixture is cold and firm, spoon into soufflé dishes. Fill the dishes and level the top.
7. Bake on 350 for about 18 minutes. Center should still be liquid.
​
Notes:
-It's best to let the batter sit in the fridge over night before you spoon into the ramekins.
-Coffee cups work in a pinch but instead of filling them to the top, fill them 2/3 full...or you have a mess to clean up.
-the air you whip into the egg whites is the key to the recipe rising. You can over whip and under whip. If you do the full recipe perfectly, there will be exactly one gallon of batter. Most people are shy by about two cups. That's ok.
-You can mix the air out of the egg whites by working the batter too hard when mixing everything together. The idea is to incorporate everything in steps, with as few strokes as possible. Melted chocolate and butter into whipped yolks. Choc yolks batter into whipped whites. No streaks.
-Worst case scenario for this recipe is you make kick ass flourless brownies.
-serve with GOOD vanilla ice cream. Edited December 3, 2013 by Razz

[LagerHead]

To add on adding the hot cream to the eggs - I find adding very small doses of hot liquid at a time to eggs and whisking vigorously works well with almost no risk of botching it. I believe it's called tempering.

 

Video! http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/how-to-temper-eggs-video/85017.html

 

That's exactly it. I forgot the word. Thanks.

 

On the subject of Crème Brulee, my new favorite - from Garden & Gun:

 

 

Krispy Krème Brûlée Recipe

[...]

 

 

I have made this too and can vouch for its deliciousness. The idea of pureed doughnuts may not sound appealing but you will get over it when you sit down to a bit of this with a nice, hot cup of delicious coffee. 

Edited December 3, 2013 by LagerHead