Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Eggnog Creme Brulee

Oh no I didnnnnn't




Ok, fine.  I did.  I had about 95 gallons of eggnog left over from the holiday party we had on Friday so I went and got all creative on yo' ass.

My friend Lauren and I like to drink eggnog and whiskey and lots and lots of it.  Yes.  I said whiskey.  Not rum, not brandy.  Whiskey.  I bought two gallons and she bought two gallons.  You can never have too much eggnog, ya know.  The last time we were together and drank this my husband made her send photo evidence that I was indeed alive and well.  Something about the way she was talking at 2am wasn't convincing him of my safety. I digress.

This sounds all fancy but it's really easy.  So don't be scared!  Jump on in.

Gather these ingredients:

Light Eggnog
Half and Half
Sugar
Eggs
Mascarpone 
I know brown sugar is pictured but I didn't use it.  The custard was plenty sweet with the white sugar.

Beat your eggs and sugar together in a bowl.

Once blended, lightly whisk in the mascarpone cheese.  Have you ever tried this stuff?  Hot damn. I could spread this on my favorite high heel and eat it right up.  Maybe not my favorite.  My second favorite.

It's like a mixture between butter and cream cheese.  That's the only way I can describe it.  It's most famously used... (most famously?)... in tiramisu but now that I've tried it plain, I'm going to put it on everything. 

Heat up your eggnog and cream on the stove until it begins to simmer.  Once it reaches that point, add a little of the eggnog/cream mixture to the egg/sugar/mascarpone mixture at a time.  If you throw it all in at once you will have scrambled eggs.   So we want to temper the eggs to slowly bring them up to heat.  You will still have little bits of egg so you'll definitely want to strain it.

See?  We don't want this in our creme brulee.  Ick.  PS - that is a bacon splatter screen, not a strainer.  Shhh it's fine.

We want it niiiiice and smooth like this.  Beautiful.  So this is what it will look like before you bake it.  Put the ramekins in a casserole dish and add water about half way up the sides of the ramekins.  Cooking them in a water bath will allow a nice and even cooking temp.

And this is what it will look like after.  You will know it's done when they move a little in the middle when you jiggle the pan but they don't seem too wet.  About 35-45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Liberally sprinkle white sugar on top and pop it under your broiler and watch them like a hawk.  I didn't even shut the door.  I watched the entire time.  It took about 2 minutes or so.  Better yet, if you have a kitchen torch use that.  Santa?  Can you hear me?  I need a kitchen torch.

Ummmm yes please.  So, a couple of things.  If you want it to taste extra eggnoggy, don't use half and half.  Do the full amount of eggnog, but do regular, not light.  This recipe has a nice light eggnog taste that isn't too heavy.  It's totally up to you, though.  Also, you can sprinkle some cinnamon or nutmeg into the custard before it bakes if you'd like.  Or hell, you can even throw some rum in there.  Get crazy.



So I probably should have waited like a millisecond to eat this but I couldn't wait.  It was so delicious.  Give it a whirl and let us know what you think.  Stay hungry! 

Eggnog Creme Brulee Recipe 
1-1/2 Cups Light Eggnog
1/2 Cup Half and Half 
4 Egg Yolks
4 Ounces of Mascarpone Cheese 
1/4 Cup of White Sugar
4 Tbs White Sugar (Optional)

Heat eggnog and half and half over stove until it comes to a simmer.  While that is heating, beat egg yolks and 1/4 cup of sugar together until mixed thoroughly.  Lightly whisk in mascarpone cheese until well blended.  Add heated eggnog and half and half mixture a little at a time to the egg/sugar/mascarpone mixture to temper the eggs.  Strain custard mixture to remove any bits of egg left over.  Place ramekins in a casserole dish.  Pour in enough water until it's half way up ramekins.  Add custard to the dishes and cook in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes or until custard jiggles when you move the pan, but just in the middle.  Chill for 2-3 hours before serving to ensure custard is set and nice and cold.  If you wish, right before serving, top each custard with 1 tablespoon of white sugar and caramelize with a kitchen torch or under your broiler for 2 minutes or so.  SO festive and delicious!  YUM! 

6 comments:

  1. This looks FABULOUS! wow... I don't really like egg nog, but I think i'd love this!

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  2. This is so festive and creative. What brand of dishes are those? I love them.

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  3. I'm so making this.......like yesterday!! Thanks for the recipe...yo!

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  4. Thanks ladies! I got the dishes from crate & barrel. Love them and use them all the time. Something about plain white ramekins I just love!

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  5. I will eagerly be waiting to see what you do with the other left over 94 + gallons of egg nog!

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Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!