Crème Brûlée

Make 6 ramekins

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup half and half
1 vanilla bean
2 tbsp sugar

3 egg yolks
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Warm cream, half and half, vanilla bean and 2 tbsp sugar over medium heat just until steam rises. Let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the bean and scrape the contents of bean into the mixture.
Whisk yolks, egg, 1/4 cup sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.
Slowly add hot cream mixture into the egg mixture. Strain into a cup with spout.
Put water to heat.
Divide into the six ramekins. Arrange ramekins into a baking tray and put the tray in the oven. Add hot water to the tray and hake for 35-45 minutes.
Remove ramekins from the water, cool, cover with plastic wrap and chill - preferably overnight.

Top with a mixture of brown sugar & plain sugar (2:1 ratio). Tap out excess sugar. Burn until the surface is caramelized. Let stand 3-5 minutes so the topping hardens.

Variation - Instead of vanilla, add 1/4 cup fresh ginger - chopped and blanched in boiling water for 1 minute and then drained.

Sauce Bonne Femme

French Velouté Sauce, flavored with crème fraîche and lemon juice

Ingredients:
2 cups Velouté Sauce
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup crème fraîche

Stir the crème fraîche and lemon juice into the slightly cooled velouté.

Velouté sauce

Velouté (vuh loo teh) is one of the white mother sauces of French cooking. Many other sauces (called petites sauces in French) can be made from it. I use the thinner version of this sauce on pasta (instead of the cream based pasta sauces).


4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (Use 2 tbsp for thinner version)
4 Tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour (Use 2 tbsp for thinner version)
2 cups chicken stock
salt and freshly ground pepper

Put a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat and add the butter. When the foam subsides take the pan off the heat. Using a whisk, rapidly stir in the flour. Return the pot and stirring every couple of minutes, cook until the flour is a straw color (blonde roux).
Whisk the stock slowly into the roux. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes till done. Season to taste.

The sauce should have a smooth and velvety texture. Some recipes ask you to strain the sauce, but I think the sauce is smooth enough without straining.