Eggnog crème brûlée

Simply put, a creme brulee is a little pot of glory!

It’s a dessert of two parts. First, the baked custard base, putting the creme in creme brulee.

Next, the crispy caramel topping, putting the brulee in creme brulee.

The creme part is made up of milk (in this case eggnog), cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla. I’ve spiced things up with the addition of ground nutmeg and cinnamon.

The top is a combination of brown sugar and rum, which is then caramelized with a burst of a kitchen blow torch.

Like any proper classic dish, the history of creme brulee is shrouded in mystery and has stoked fierce debate in recent times. One thing is for sure… the origins of creme brulee go back centuries.

The commonly held belief is that creme brulee was invented in France. I mean, look at the name, right? Indeed, the first mention of creme brulee in France was in a 1691 cookbook  ‘Cuisinier royal et bourgeois,’ by chef François Massialot. 

Hold on. Not so fast. Some 60 years earlier, at Trinity College in Cambridge, a student came up with the idea of burning the college crest on the top of a pot of baked custard. 

So, the British claim to have invented the baked custard dessert seems to have some weight, especially when you add the fact that the French never even burnt the top of their creme brulees until much later. In fact, they would place a caramel disc on top.

So it’s British. That’s settled. Well… not exactly. Turns out, there’s a twist to this culinary tale.

A whopping 300 years before that Cambridge student’s experiment, a medieval Catalan cookbook ‘Llibre de Sent Soví’ was published. In it, a recipe for Crema Catalana called for a baked custard to be burnt on top, for a satisfying caramel crunch.

The Catalan version is slightly different to the French – instead of cream they use milk and in place of vanilla they use lemon zest. 

Still, it seems the Spanish, or more specifically the Catalans can lay claim to the invention of this dish. At least until the next ancient cookery book is unearthed! 

The French crème brûlée translates into English as ‘burnt cream.’ Sounds a lot more appetizing in French, right?

Like a creamy Christmas dream! It’s something along the lines of a rich, creamy custardy dessert, with hints of Christmas spice. Drinking eggnog is just a warming, joyful experience. Which is what makes it perfect for the holiday season.

The typical eggnog spices are nutmeg and cinnamon. You could also use ground cloves.

I really recommend getting hold of ramekins for this recipe. The whole appeal is to serve it as one dessert, with a crunchy caramel layer that you have to break through with your spoon.

You should be able to get ramekins from most supermarkets or homeware stores. If you can’t find them, any kind of ceramic dish would work. Make it as one large dessert, then portion it out once baked.

Cooking creme brulee in a water bath, otherwise known as a bain-marie, makes sure that the air in the oven is moist. It also helps to distribute the heat evenly throughout the egg custard and prevents the custard from cracking or scrambling.

To make a water bath, place the ramekins in a baking dish and fill the baking dish with hot water or boiling water. The water should come up to about halfway up the ramekins.

Alcohol is only used on the top of the creme brulee. Either brandy or rum is drizzled on top and is then burned with the kitchen blowtorch, to create the luscious caramelized effect.  

You won’t even taste any alcohol. You’ll be left with a wonderful caramel taste.

A lot! This eggnog creme brulee recipe calls for 8 egg yolks to be added to the eggnog mixture.

Yes! If you’re making this eggnog creme brulee recipe for a festive dinner party, you can make up the creme brulee pots up to 24 hours in advance.

When you’re ready to serve them, add the final flourish with the sugar, the booze and the blowtorch.

The tricky thing about making a crème brûlée is cooking the cream mixture at the right temperature. You want to get the right balance so that your egg yolks are cooked just enough.

If the egg yolks are undercooked, your creme brulee will be liquidy. If you overcook them, you’ll end up with split creme brulees. So, be sure to closely follow the instructions below.

It could be because you’ve overcooked it. The eggnog mixture needs to be slowly mixed with the egg yolks and then heated gently. Don’t be tempted to rush this stage. 

I also find that running the mixture through a fine sieve before pouring it into the ramekins helps to remove any egg strands, which can prevent an unpleasant ‘eggy’ taste.

You want to see a jiggle, bow slightly when you tilt it, but not so that the liquid comes out of the top and doesn’t break the top layer.

If you don't have a kitchen torch, use the oven broiler or grill to caramelize the sugar. Place the eggnog creme brulee in their ramekins under the broiler or grill on a high heat for 5 minutes. 

You should refrigerate your eggnog crème brûlée for at least 3 hours before serving. Allow it to come to room temperature before giving it a sprinkle of sugar, a dash of rum and a blast from the blowtorch.

Use fine sugar for the custard mixture and light brown for the caramelization of the top.

Something nice enough to drink but not too lavish to put a whole in your bank balance. Also, make sure it’s a dark rum.