Earl Grey Creme Brulee

Creme brulee seems to be the epitome of fine dining. I think the smooth custard paired with the crisp finish intimidates home cooks. One thing I learned about creme brulee is that it's actually not a difficult thing to make at home. It's a simple process, though it takes a little bit of time.

I love to infuse my brulee with earl grey tea. It adds a complexity that helps to keep the rich custard from overwhelming. It's a smooth, smoky dessert. The only thing you really need to make it is a torch.

Earl Grey Creme Brulee (Makes 1 dozen)
16 oz heavy cream
125 g egg yolks
150 g Sugar
1 bag of earl grey tea
Sugar, to torch 

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
2. Heat heavy cream. Add the contents of the tea bag to the cream.
3. In a medium bowl, mix yolks and sugar together.
4. Once the cream comes to a boil, remove it from the heat and allow it to steep for about 5 mintues.
5. Pour it into the yolks through a fine strainer to strain out the tea leaves. Mix as you pour to keep from curdling the yolks.
6. Place a flexible muffin tin (silicone) onto a shallow sheet pan,.
7. Pour the mixture evenly into the silicone muffin molds. Then, place the sheet into the oven. Pour water into the sheet pan about halfway up.
8. Bake for about an hour and a half, until the centers are not loose anymore. It should have a very slight jiggle. You can turn off the oven and leave the door open when it is finished. This will vary based on your oven and mold. 
9. Remove from the oven when finished and allow to cool. Be very very careful as the water will be hot.
10. Once room temperature, place the sheet into the freezer to solidify the creme brulee.
11. Once solid, unmold the frozen creme brulee. Dip the tops (small side) in sugar  and torch until golden.
12. Serve soon after you brulee it. You should allow it to thaw slightly before serving.

If you don't have a flexible muffin mold, you can also use a regular muffin tin. After freezing the brulee, you will need to torch the bottoms (the metal) and cut around it with a knife. It's a little messier, but it's definitely do-able. You torch the tin gently so that you melt the bottom of the custard slightly, so that it releases from the tin. 

Earl Grey Lavender Macarons

Here's another macaron post! These macarons are perfect for springtime- and make a beautiful gift! Mother's day is approaching, and these macarons are a great way to make mothers feel appreciated! Unfortunately my mom and my stepmom are back in Georgia and I'm not able to make them a batch of tea-infused macarons. These macarons are unique and luxurious, and will make any person feel special :)

Earl Grey Lavender Macarons (Makes about 20 Macarons)
Shells
100g Almond Flour
120 g Confectioner's Sugar
50 g Granulated Sugar
70 g Egg Whites (2 large whites)
1/2 tsp Purple Gel Food Coloring
1 tbsp Earl Grey Lavender Tea Leaves

1. Pulse almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor until very finely ground. Be careful not to grind too long, because it will release all of the oils, ruining your final product.
2. Sift the powder with a medium-mesh sieve.
3. Place the particles that are too large to fit through the sieve back into the food processor, pulse, and sift again. Throw out the excess pieces.
4. In a grease-free bowl, place your egg whites and sugar. Allow to sit for a few minutes to begin to dissolve.
5. Use grease-free beaters on high speed to whip the egg whites to stiff peaks.
6. As the meringue reaches stiff peaks, add food coloring until you reach the desired color.
7 Use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the meringue until the batter moves slowly, like lava. If you run your spatula through it, it should fall together after 5-7 seconds.
8. Put the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (3/8 inch). 
9. Pipe rounds that are about an inch apart onto a nonstick baking mat (silpat) that is placed onto a cookie sheet. 
10. Do this by holding the bag straight up about half an inch above the silpat, applying pressure to the bag until about 1 inch in diameter, stopping pressure, and then removing by moving hand in a very small circular motion to release the tip from the macaron shell. Make sure there is enough space to spread.
11. Rap your cookie sheet/sheet pan on the table a few times to make sure there are no bumps on the macaron shells. 
12. Grind tea leaves in a coffee grinder.
13. Pinch some tea leaves and gently sprinkle it on one side.  
14. Let rest until dry to the touch (about 30-45 minutes, longer on rainy days).
15. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. If you have a convection oven, use convection.
16. Bake macaron shells on the second shelf of the oven for 14-17 minutes, until they do not wiggle when nudged.
17. Remove from oven and allow shells to cool completely before removing from the silpat.
 
Earl Grey Lavender Ganache
4 oz White Chocolate
6 oz Heavy Cream
1 tbsp Earl Grey Lavender Tea

1. Scald half of the heavy cream in a small pot. Once it boils, remove from the heat and add the tea leaves.
2. Allow the cream to steep about 10 minutes.
3. Reheat to a boil and then pour through a fine sieve, over the white chocolate.
4. Gently mix the chocolate until the ganache becomes well incorporated.
5. Cover and place in the fridge to cool.
6. Once cold, place into a mixing bowl and whip to stiff peaks. The ganache should become lighter in color.

Assembly
1. Pair the shells by size. You should have about 20 pairs of shells.
2. On the surface of the bottom of the shell, place a small pinch of jam in the center. It should be enough for a small surprise. 
3. Put the ganache into a piping bag with the same tip that you used to pipe the macarons.
4. Pipe the ganache so that it is covering about 1/2 of the surface of the bottom of the shell.
5. Put the pairs together to create a "sandwich". 
6. Place in the fridge overnight to allow the flavors to develop.
7. Let the macarons come to room temperature before you serve them.

I hope everyone has a great week! Comment below with any requests for an upcoming blog post! I will try my best to make it happen!