Pages

Friday, December 23, 2011

Lait de Poule Creme Brûlée


F R E N C H   F R I D A Y S   W I T H   D O R I E
Milk of Chicken (lait de Poule).  Somehow, "eggnog" sounds more palatable than its french translation, does it not? I would much rather have a glass of Darigold's Pumpkin Eggnog than one of chicken milk - especially at this festive time of year. I might even like it in a creme brûlée.





















Having never made a creme brûlée before - I threw caution to the wind and used the entire amount of eggnog in place of whole milk and heavy cream. My scientific mind deduced that milk and cream are fat. Eggnog is fat - just better-tasting fat. Dorie's Creme recipe whisked together quite quickly - a boon for the the busy holiday season. Baking the custards was also a breeze - no bain marie needed and can be baked ahead of time and chilled, another time-saver.

I read the charm of creme brulees is the flaming of the sugar - much like flaming crepes suzette, where dinner guests gasp in awe and wonder. I utilized my tiny kitchen torch to brown and caramelize the sprinkled brown sugar. While I didn't get the 'oohs & aahs' of a flaming crepe, I did get a sparkly, crackled, sugary surface. Below lay a creamy, pudding-like custard of eggnog - which more than made up for the lack of enthusiasm with the torch.

– mike

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Eggnog creme brulee sounds delicious. Chicken milk creme brulee, not so much:-)

Yours look like they came out perfectly. In my house I never get to use the torch because that is my husband's favorite part. Anytime open flames come into the cooking process he is a happy camper.

Simply Tia said...

Créme Brûlée and eggnog! My heart just stopped. I bet this is uber delicious!

Anonymous said...

LOL I always giggle when I see eggnog/lait de poule at the store because of the funny name. Great idea to use it in lieu of cream and milk. I guess if you flambee it with a touch of rum successfully, the oohs and aahs will come! :D

Beautiful photos.

Ei said...

Oh man, that sounds AMAZING. Nice innovation!

Cher Rockwell said...

Rarely is a dessert worsened by the addition of more fat... Eggnog rarely disappoints either.

Milk of chicken, well.....

Christy said...

Mmmmm. Egg nog sounds like a really great tweak to this and so much more interesting than regular creamy fat! The holiday ornaments make your creme brulee glisten like little golden custards - really beautiful!

Merry Christmas & Happy French Friday!

Elaine said...

What a wonderful idea to use eggnog, Mike. I bet they were even more delicious. Your cremes look fabulous! I am going to make another batch with eggnog to see how it tastes. I am sorry that you didn't have as much fun as I did with the torch. ;)

Anonymous said...

Did you like how it tasted?? Your photos are pretty and so are your creme brulees! I dont have a torch, so already- I'm jealous!! :)

tricia s. said...

You had me at the photo - that picture of your creme brulee is stunning. Well done ! And don't even get me started on how much I love eggnog. I am one of the masses that will even hit the "Golden Arches" for their eggnog shake, I love it so much. Oh, the shame.......I am SO going to try this your way !

Betsy said...

Eggnog creme brulee = brilliant! I'll have to try that. I love eggnog.

Lynne Daley said...

Beautiful photos! I'll have to try this recipe.

Anonymous said...

They also Own a 24/7 religious service Team that likewise through this particular one may comfortably tell if the casino is in reality just or not. [url=http://www.bvnvpaydayloans.co.uk/]payday loans[/url] http://ukpaydayloans.blog.co.uk/ They take issue in them and rewards loyal members with preferential bonus offers, as substantially as select individualized services. http://www.oiupaydayloans.co.uk/