Ingredients

  • 633 milliliters heavy cream 900 ml cream total
  • 213 ⅓ milliliters whole milk no milk
  • 173 ⅓ grams sugar, caster 125g sugar
  • ⅔ vanilla beans halved lengthwise
  • 1 ⅓ dashes salt
  • ½ cup tea loose leaf, Eng. Brk
  • 8 egg yolks 12 yolks-new method
  • 2 ⅔ tablespoons sugar, turbinado

Directions

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 275*F/135*C/GM 1. 6 - 4 oz ramekins.
2. Bring cream, milk, sugar, vanilla bean and salt just to a boil in heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat and stir in tea. Let steep, covered, 15 minutes. Pour cream mixture throught a fine-mesh sieve into a large glass measure.
3. Whisk yolks in a medium bowl, then slowly add cream mixture, whisking until combined. Divide custard among 4 oz ramekins and bake in a water bath, uncovered,until custards are set around edges but still wobbly in centers, 45-50 minutes (thermometer reads 170-175*F in center of custard).
4. Remove from water bath and chill, uncovered, until cold, at least 2 hours. Just before serving, sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly over custards. Move blowtorch flame evenly back and forth close to sugar until sugar is caramelized. Let stand until sugar is hardened, 3-5 minutes.
5. Custards, without caramelized sugar, can be chilled up to 2 days (covered after 2 hours). Blot gently with paper towels to remove any liquid on tops before sprinkling with turbinado sugar and caramelizing.
6. Alternate cooking method: Use alternate amounts indicated after ingredient. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300*F/150*C/GM 2.
7. Combine half of the cream with sugar, and salt in medium saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into pan, submerge pod in cream and bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally to ensure that sugar dissolve. Remove pan from heat and add tea. Let steep 15 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, place kitchen towel in bottom of large baking dish or roasting pan and arrange 8-4 to 5 ounce ramekins on towel. Bring kettle of water to boil.
9. After cream has steeped, stir in remaining cream and milk to cool down mixture. Whisk yolks in large bowl until broken up and combined. Whisk in cream slowly and until evenly colored and thoroughly combined. Strain through fine-mesh strainer. Pour into ramekins.
10. Carefully place baking dish with ramekins on oven rack. Pour boiling water into pan until water reaches two-thirds up sides of ramekins. Bake until centers of custards are just barely set and are no longer sloshy and didital instant-read thermometer registers 170-175*F, 30-35 minutes.
11. Transfer ramekins to wire rack. Cool to room temperature. Set ramekins on rimmed baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or up to 4 days.
12. Uncover ramekins. Blot condensation from tops. sprinkle each with about 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar. Tilt and tap ramekin for even coverage. Ignite torch and caramelize sugar. Refrigerate ramekins, uncovered, to re-chill, 30-45 minutes (but no longer). Serve.

Notes
Serving Ideas:Original serves 6. Alt. amts serve 8.


Categories
CustardsPuddings
Keywords
CustardsPuddings
MacGourmet downloadBlack Tea Custard. To import, drag image to your MacGourmet recipe box.