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