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The scene that has inspired our dessert course comes at the very end of the movie. Remy has brought together his two worlds, and is catering for rats and humans alike, in his no frills bistro that's unapologetically him, named "La Ratatouille". One of his many patrons is Anton Ego, now transformed from antagonist to ally, who when ordering dessert, requests a 'surprise'. That has left us free as little birds to pick through the French classics and go with our hearts. We settled on a Creme Brûlée, a simple but delicious dish that is in keeping with the rest of our dinner, and a dish that would undoubtably be on the menu at Remy's Bistro.
A few notes on the recipe before we begin, you can bake and serve the custard in any oven proof dish you wish, some people like to make one large pudding, but personally, I prefer individual portions, but you do you! This can be made in advance but the caramel sort of melts and goes all watery if left for too long, so it's best to make and bake the custard the day before, but wait to brûlée them until just before guests arrive.
A blow torch is by far the best way to achieve an even brûléed top, you can put the puddings under the grill if you don't have one, but it's a bit of a lucky dip and a method I would avoid. If you want to, you can pick up a blow torch pretty inexpensively (I bought this one) and it's proved to be a much more useful and versatile tool than I imagined, I'm loving it!
You will notice that this recipe includes milk. Many recipes will call for cream and cream alone, but I find the addition of a little milk makes the custard less likely to split when baked and, I personally prefer the final texture. One thing that is definitely non-negotiable is you have to use a vanilla pod or vanilla bean paste (say no to extract!) a good creme brûlée has to have the little flecks of vanilla seeds to feel like the real deal.
All that is left to say is merci beaucoup for following along with this episode of 'Dinner and a Movie'. We hope to see you here this time next month for another episode, which honours a classic movie, that celebrates food for all the Family... wink wink nudge nudge 🌹
CREME BRULEE
INGREDIENTS (serves 4-6)
5 medium egg yolks
500 ml double cream
100 ml whole milk
1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp of vanilla bean paste
50 g caster sugar (plus extra for topping)
Pinch of salt
METHOD
THE CUSTARD
Pre heat the oven 150°C / 140°C fan.
Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod, and put the seeds and the pod in a medium saucepan, along with the cream and milk.
Place on a medium heat, and warm until it just reaches a simmer, removing from the heat just before bubbles begin to form. Leave to steep for 30 mins.
After 30 mins, in a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and salt for 30 secs until lightened in colour.
Warm the cream again until just before it reaches a simmer.
To temper the eggs, pour a quarter of the cream mixture over the egg yolks, stirring with a spatula as you go, don't whisk, we don't want additional bubbles.
Pour in the remaining cream, and mix to combine.
Strain through a fine mesh sieve to get rid of any lumps, pushing through any vanilla seeds that get caught in the sieve. Discard the pod.
BAKING
Place a serving dish, or individual ramekins into a large, deep roasting tin. Pour the custard into the ramekins/dish.
Pour boiling water into the roasting tin, until it reaches about a third of the way up the sides of the ramekins/dish. This water bath will ensure the custard cooks evenly.
Bake for 30 - 90 mins depending on the size of the ramekins/dish. Keep an eye on things, and remove from the oven once the custard is set on the edges, with a slight wobble in the centre (for 6 x individual ramekins, I baked for exactly 30 mins).
Very carefully remove the roasting tin from the oven, being careful not to spill any of the hot water. Remove the ramekins/dish from the water bath, to prevent the custard from overcooking. Leave to cool to room temperature.
Once cooled, cover closely with cling film, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.
THE BRULEE TOP
Once chilled and set, with a paper towel, wipe clean and dry the edge of the dish(es), and carefully remove any moisture from the top of the custard.
Sprinkle over a thin and even layer of caster sugar- the amount you need will depend on the size of your serving, but for a traditional 175ml ramekin, 1 tsp of sugar is sufficient.
Using a blow torch to melt the sugar is the most effective and controlled method (if you don't have a blow torch, place under a medium grill for a few minutes).
The sugar will continue to cook when you move the flame away, so move the blow torch around continuously. You are looking for all the sugar to be melted, a golden brown colour all over, with a few blackened spots.
Leave to cool and harden for at least an hour before serving.
