Dieter's Dream Creme Brulee |
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Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 180 Minutes |
Ready In: 200 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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Yet another creme brulee experiment... This one came out surprisingly well considering the ultimate goal was to make a dessert that had as few calories and fat as possible. The custard can be made with 2 tbsp of honey, or 3 tbsp of sugar or splenda. When I priced out the calories on the honey version came out to about 93 calories, the sugar version weighed in at 96, and the splenda version measured 70 calories per serving. The honey, and sugar versions will taste more natural, and for the price of 23 calories, I think it's worth it. This isn't the most spectacular creme brulee in the world, but it's pretty darn good considering the nutritional information. The spices and flavorings can be tweaked however you like them. I've had a blast playing around with it. The fun thing is that I can afford to play around with it and munch as much as I like without having to widen my doorways. :D Hope you enjoy! Ingredients:
1 cup evaporated skim milk |
1 vanilla bean |
2 egg whites (for a smoother texture, use 4 tbsp. pasturized egg whites from a carton) |
2 tablespoons honey (or 3 tbsp. splenda if you want to cut even more calories) |
1/8 teaspoon orange extract |
1/8 teaspoon rum extract (or whichever flavors you prefer) |
1 pinch salt |
2 teaspoons sugar |
2 teaspoons brown sugar |
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 300 and arrange 4 4 oz. ramekins in a baking pan large enough to hold a water bath up to halfway up the ramekins.
2. In a small saucepan over low heat (or in a double boiler) simmer the evaporated milk and the vanilla bean until the surface begins to shimmer and a slight skin forms. Do not allow to boil. If you don't have a vanilla bean it's ok. The vanilla just brings out the sweet flavor a little bit.
3. While the milk is simmering, combine the egg whites, extracts (or whatever flavorings you choose), sweetener, and the salt. Try not to whisk quickly since you don't want the egg whites to foam. I use two forks, and scissor the tongs together to try to break up the membrane in the egg whites. Try to combine all of the ingredients as best as possible as you want to eliminate lumps in the final custard.
4. Once the surface of the warmed milk has begun to shimmer, turn the heat off and allow to cool a bit so as not to cook the eggs.
5. Pour the cooled milk mixture through a strainer into the egg mixture and mix together gently. Rinse the vanilla bean and save for future use. Note: You may want to pour the custard mixture through a fine sieve or collander several times to discard some of the larger chunks of egg membrane and other various lumps and irregularities.
6. Once the mixture is strained to your satisfaction, evenly distribute it into the four ramekins and fill the pan up to halfway up the sides of the ramekins with water.
7. Cover loosely with foil and Bake for about 40-50 minutes. Watch them closely, and do not overbake. When done, the custards should still be kind of wobbly in the center. The less time they bake the softer your custard will be, and because of the egg white substitution baking them too long will cause the custard to Curdle.
8. Once done, Remove the pan from the oven and allow the ramekins to cool in the water bath. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
9. To serve: In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and brown sugar to make your brulee sugar. Remove the ramekins from the fridge and sprinkle a teaspoon of the mixture evenly on the top of each custard. If you have a culinary torch, use it to caramelize the brulee sugar. Try to caramelize the sugar quickly and evenly so the custards remain cool. If you don't have a culinary torch, a preheated broiler or salamander will work fine. Just place the custards as close to the flame as possible for about 30 seconds or so. Watch closely, and do not over broil or the custards and the sugar will burn. :(.
10. Keep in mind that this dessert will have a slightly grainy texture as compared to a typical creme brulee recipe, but this one's actually ok for a night time treat - even if you're watching your waistline! :) Have fun and enjoy!
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