CREME BRULEE COFFEE RECIPES

Steps:

• Combine instant coffee granules and 1/4 cup whipping cream; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes or until coffee dissolves. Add remaining 1 3/4 cups whipping cream, egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla, stirring with a wire whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture is smooth. Pour mixture evenly into 5 (5- x 1-inch) round individual baking dishes; place dishes in a large roasting pan or a 15- x 10- x 1-inch jellyroll pan. Prepare 1/2-inch water bath (see Brûlée Basics below).
• Bake at 275° for 45 to 50 minutes or until almost set. Cool custards in water in pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan; cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
• Sprinkle about 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar evenly over each custard; place custards in jellyroll pan.
• Broil 5 inches from heat (with electric oven door partially opened) until brown sugar melts. Let stand 5 minutes to allow sugar to harden.
• Note: Baking time is for 5- x 1-inch round individual baking dishes. As a general rule, to use 4-, 6-, or 8-ounce custard cups, bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. When the crème brûlée is done, the center will still be slightly liquid and a knife will not come out clean. The yield will vary with different size dishes: For 4-ounce cups you'll get 10 servings, for 6-ounce cups you'll get 7 servings, and for 8-ounce cups you'll get 4 servings.
• Brûlée Basics:
• Don't panic when you see the term water bath. A water bath is simply a roasting pan or jellyroll pan filled with water. The water creates a cushion from the heat of the oven, allowing the custards to bake slowly without curdling.
• Don't burn yourself. Before you take the water bath out of the oven, remove some of the water with a basting bulb or a long-handled ladle.
• When you broil the brown sugar, get the crème brûlées as close to the heating element as possible. To do this, place an inverted roasting pan on the top shelf of the oven; then place the crème brûlées on a baking sheet on top of the roasting pan.
• An adventurous alternative to the broiler is a welding torch. Your dinner guests will think you have gone mad, but the torch gives the ultimate glassy crust. Torching is the professional chef's method of choice.
• Crème brûlée is an even more extraordinary dessert if the custard is cold and firm when you crack into the warm caramelized sugar topping. Here's the secret: Place the custards in a roasting pan filled with ice, and then broil them. The ice keeps the custards cold while the sugar melts.
• You can bake the crème brûlées ahead of time, but wait until just a few minutes before serving to caramelize the sugar. The caramelized sugar will begin to liquefy if the custards sit for more than an hour.
• We found that Dixie Crystals brand brown sugar works best for crème brûlées. It caramelizes evenly to a perfect golden brown.
• Don't waste your money on salamanders sold in gourmet catalogs and used for caramelizing the top of crème brûlées. They work like branding irons to melt the brown sugar. When we tried one, we ended up with burnt--not caramelized--sugar.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 320 degrees. Bring cream and coffee beans to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, and reduce heat to low; cook at a bare simmer 30 minutes. Pour mixture through a fine sieve into a medium bowl (or use a slotted spoon to remove beans); discard beans.
• Put yolks, granulated sugar, and salt in a large bowl; whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture is pale and thick. Gradually add cream in a slow, steady stream, whisking until combined. Pour steeping the coffee beans whisking the custard adding the layer of sugar through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a large glass measuring cup or pitcher; skim any foam or bubbles from surface.
• Divide custard among molds, filling them almost to the top. Place molds in a roasting pan; put pan on oven rack, and pour boiling water around molds to reach halfway up sides. Bake until custards are set around the edges but still loose in the centers, about 30 minutes.
• Let molds cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from water bath. Cover each with plastic wrap, pressing onto surface; refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
• If using a torch to caramelize custards, just before serving use a fine sieve to sift 1 tablespoon superfine sugar over each; wipe sugar from edges. Hold torch at a 90-degree angle, 3 to 4 inches from the surface of each custard, and use a steady sweeping motion to caramelize the tops until golden brown.
• If you don't have a torch, freeze custards 20 minutes before topping with sugar. Preheat broiler, and place molds on a rimmed baking sheet; surround with ice cubes. Broil, rotating sheet once, until tops are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. If molds become warm, refrigerate custards for a few minutes before serving.