So I had a hankering for crème brulee. I love to order this dessert in restaurants, but I’ll only order it if I’m confidant it’s going to be done really well. Bad crème brulee is so disappointing! I’ve had thick jelly-like versions, and grainy-scrambled-egg-like versions. Bleurgh!! There aren’t too many things that make me grumpy (no comments from you please Chris) but a waste of a dessert makes me really grumpy. The custard should be smooth and creamy, the topping should be sweet, with a very slightly bitter edge, and of course it should have a proper crunch to it. Serve that with some kind of crumbly biscuit on the side and I’m sold. I could have put a classic crème brulee on the blog, and maybe at some point in the future I will, but I decided to do a bit of experimentation and combine the crème brulee flavours with that crumbly biscuit I spoke of earlier. Doing a bit of research, I found that there are quite a few crème brulee bar recipes out there – but pretty much all of them were for crème brulee cheesecake bars. I didn’t want cheesecake! Just the custard, sugar crunch and biscuit please. So here it is the Crème Brulee Bars:
The base for these Crème Brulee Bars is the classic crumbled up biscuit with melted butter combination. The custard is a fairly basic crème patissiere. I add a little cornflour to help it to set – so I can slice the bars neatly. I also add some butter at the end for added richness and a glossy finish. For me, it’s important that the custard isn’t rubbery and jelly-like. You’ll get a creamy, smooth but sliceable custard with this recipe without having to add gelatin or anything like that (which would give it a jelly-like finish). The topping is a simple, even layer of sugar that’s been melted using a blow torch. I’ve tried using the grill/broiler but it’s really hard to get an even finish without the custard underneath getting too hot. I’ve gotta say – aren’t blowtorches fun!! I think Chris was pretty nervous when he got the following email from me whilst in a meeting at work: Hi hun, Do you have a blowtorch? If so any idea where it is? And tips on not setting myself alight would be good too xx No harm in making them worry a little about you sometimes 🙂 A couple of tips before you start: When using the blowtorch, make sure your crème brulee bars are on a metal tray so you don’t scorch your work surface. Also, it’s best to torch the sugar just before serving. If you attempt to torch the sugar and then leave it for a while before serving you’ll find that the sugar turns to liquid and melts down on the custard and around the bars - leaving no crunch at all. If you want to prepare this dessert ahead, make it up to the bit just before you sprinkle the sugar on. Then you can place the individual slices on a plate, cover it and place in the fridge. You can eat them like this if you like, or you can just take them out of the fridge when you’re ready to serve, sprinkle on the sugar (smoothing with the back of a teaspoon for an even layer) and torch till dark and very bubbly
The Crème Brulee Bars Recipe:
