short&SWEET: Day 32 - Creme Brulee & Apple Crumb Cake

Sunday, September 25, 2011

I can't believe it's officially autumn! It's my favorite time of year and I am so inspired by all of the fall flavors [apple, pumpkin, etc]! This weekend I had a few different baking sessions. The first one was on Friday night in preparation for my brother Anthony and his friend to come for dinner on Saturday night. I wanted to make a special dessert and Creme Brulee seemed like the perfect option - it's easy to make but looks really fancy! The only ingredients in it are heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar and a vanilla bean. I started by heating the heavy cream and vanilla bean until it came to a slight simmer. I then mixed the egg yolks and sugar with an electric mixer until they became thick and light yellow. I slowly added the heavy cream and vanilla to the eggs [slowly so the eggs don't scramble!] and I poured the mixture into ramekins which I had in a baking pan filled with about an inch of water.

Egg and Sugar Mixture

Ramekins ready for the custard!

The creme brulee's baked in about 40 minutes until they were set around the edges and still slightly loose in the center. This is the only tricky part about making these… knowing when they are cooked enough but not too much. Once the creme brulee's came out of the oven, I let them come to room temperature and then put them in the refrigerator to set completely. These are best made a day ahead so they have time to chill in the fridge.

After dinner on Saturday night, I took the creme brulee's out of the refrigerator and was ready to prepare the best part - the hard sugar topping. To do this, I sprinkle a thin, even layer of sugar over the top, then use my mini torch to caramalize the sugar creating a nice, hard top. The best part of eating a creme brulee is cracking into the top with a spoon and scooping out the delicious vanilla custard. The hard sugar on top gives a nice contrast in texture to the creamy center. You can't beat that!

Chilled Creme Brulee - ready for the sugar topping!

Getting Torched!

Finished Creme Brulee!

Today, my friend Sheila is coming over to bake with me. We are going to make an apple crumb cake and then she wants me to show her how to make my mom's sheet cookies that are made with saltine crackers.

We started with the apple coffee cake. To start, I creamed unsalted butter and brown sugar and added 2 eggs once the mixture was smooth and fluffy. Next, I sifted the dry ingredients together [flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda] and added them slowly to the wet ingredients. In between adding small amounts of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, I added sour cream and vanilla which makes the cake moist. Finally, I folded in chunks of apple [and I used both a green and red apple].

Apples ready to go!

Dry Ingredients

I spread the batter in a baking dish and was ready to make the crumb topping. The crumb topping was really simple. I just mixed together softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour until it formed coarse crumbles. I sprinkled the crumbs over the top of the batter and put it in the oven to bake for about 40 minutes.

Ready for the oven!

While the cake baked, I made a glaze for the top consisting of brown sugar, vanilla and water.

Glaze

When the coffee cake came out of the oven, it looked and smelled delicious! We poured the glaze over the cake and let it cool for about 20 minutes. Of course we couldn't wait until after dinner, so we cut into the cake to give it a try and it was AMAZING! Probably one of my favorite things I've made in a long time! This is a MUST try!

Just out of the oven

SO YUMMY!!!

Lastly, Sheila and I made my Mom's sheet cookies which is a simple and delicious treat that everyone loves. We started by lining a cookie sheet with unsalted saltine crackers to cover every inch of the sheet. Next, we melted butter and sugar until the butter was completely melted and the mixture came to a slow boil. The mixture is then poured over the saltines and placed in the oven until the cookies start to bubble. Next, we sprinkled semi-sweet chocolate chips over the top and put the tray back into the oven so the chips could melt. Once the chips were soft, we spread them with a knife to create a smooth chocolate layer. Finally, chopped walnuts are sprinkled over the top of the chocolate and the whole tray is put into the refrigerator to harden. Once the cookies are hardened, you just need to cut them up and enjoy!