Chocolate Cherry Crème Brulee

from amethyst

The beauty of this recipe is you can substitute any fruit and puree you want. You don’t have to use dried fruit either – you can use real fruit. Raspberries/raspberry puree, canned apricot pieces/apricot puree, real strawberry pieces/strawberry puree, etc. You can use white chocolate pieces or butterscotch pieces instead of bittersweet chocolate. GO CRAZY!!

About the Puree: We got the cherry puree from a specialty store that wasn’t public. You’ll have to do some snooping around. I’ve never checked a grocery store, so who knows. The Internet has recipes on making your own, but it’s a lot of work. And yes, Amazon.com does carry fruit purees (30-oz. jar for $22.50). They are expensive. What you don’t use can be re-frozen (in small portions) and used later on. You can get dried cherries in most grocery stores.

1 quart heavy whipping cream
4 oz. quality bittersweet chocolate in pieces
16 egg yolks
6 oz. sugar
2 oz. cherry puree
2 tsp. real vanilla
6 dried cherries per ramekin

Put (10) 6-oz. ramekins in a couple 9x13 pans (use glass or enamel, not aluminum due to staining of metal); if you use smaller ramekins, cooking time will be less. Place 6 dried cherries in bottom of each ramekin.

Put cream in small saucepan on medium-low; heat until skim coat forms around edges -- this will happen just before it boils; DO NOT LET CREAM BOIL or it will ruin it; at this point, add chocolate and melt, stirring continually, then remove from heat. Don’t worry if chocolate doesn’t look completely melted in cream – it will still incorporate into egg mixture when whisked.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. While cream is heating, take a bowl (I use 8-cup plastic bowl with pouring lip), whisk together yolks, vanilla, sugar, and cherry puree; slowly add heated cream/chocolate mixture, whisking as you go; whisk until chocolate is thoroughly incorporated.

Pour mixture into ramekins about ¾ full; with a spoon, remove excessive froth and bubbles or they will cook right into mixture and look bad. Rinse out plastic bowl and fill with very hot tap water; pour water into pans (known as a water bath) approx. 2/3 of the way up the outside of ramekins.

Carefully place pans in 300-degree oven and cook approx. 45 mins. or until outside rim is “set” and center jiggles, not sloshes. Turn off oven (keep door open) and allow pans to cool until you can easily remove ramekins and place on racks; let ramekins thoroughly cool, then put in fridge until completely chilled.

If you don’t like things too sweet, I wouldn’t even bother with the sugar crust. Otherwise, sprinkle white cane sugar evenly over top of ramekin (not thickly, lightly just enough to cover). Using a torch, move the flame rapidly over the sugar surface and it will start to bubble almost immediately. As soon as you see it turn golden brown in several spots (not entire surface), stop. You can overdo it very easily.

Let cool, put a garnish on it of your choice (maybe a chocolate-dipped real cherry) and serve. If you have leftovers, cover ramekin completely and tightly in saran wrap and put in fridge (will be good for up to a week).

Serves 10

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