For Valentine’s Day weekend, Monarch Rooftop & Indoor Lounge Executive Chef Daniel Billheimer will introduce his sweet twist on a traditional creme brulee with his Chambord Crème Brulee Recipe. Located at 71 West 35th Street, perched 18 floors above midtown Manhattan, the Monarch offers spectacular sights of midtown Manhattan, and a picturesque view of the iconic Empire State Building.
For those of us planning a romantic evening at home, this delicious recipe is a simple way to surprise your sweetheart with a treat that is sure to impress. Do not skip the Chambord, as it adds a lovely pink raspberry color and flavor to the dish. Pair with a berry cocktail, or your favorite glass of bubbly!
Chambord Crème Brulee Recipe
Yield: Nine 3.75oz. ramekins
Crème Brulee Ingredients
- 7 egg yolks
- 24oz. heavy cream
- 4oz. sugar
- 3/4 tsp real vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 7 Tsp Chambord cordial
Garnish
- Raw sugar
- Mint sprig
- Blackberry or black raspberry
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. If convection, turn to low fan.
In a small pot combine cream, vanilla and salt and heat gently on medium high. Keep an eye on cream mixture so it doesn’t boil over. Separate egg yolks into a medium mixing bowl and whip in sugar until creamy. Once cream mixture is gently simmering, remove from heat and temper it into the yolk/sugar by whisking the two together slowly, so as not to scramble the yolks. After the cream mixture is totally combined with the yolk mixture, whisk in the Chambord.
In a half hotel pan, place nine 4oz. ramekins and fill them with the crème brulee mixture leaving 1/2 inch. Add boiling water until it reaches half way up the ramekins. Gently place the pan in the oven and set a timer for 20 minutes. The cooking process might take a little more time depending on the oven, but remove the pan when the custard is set up and just barely jiggles when the pan is shook. Remove the ramekins from the water bath on to a sheet pan and place in refrigerator to cool, about 2 hours.
When ready to serve, apply a layer of raw sugar to just cover the custard. Gently caramelize the sugar with a hand torch rotating the crème brulee slowly to caramelize evenly.
**As an alternative to a hand torch, set your oven to broil and place the rack just underneath the element/flame. Make sure the creme brulees have set (preferably overnight) and the ramekins are cold before placing them under the broiler for 10-15 minutes or until the sugar begins to caramelize.
Garnish with mint sprig and one berry for accent, and serve.
Hi there, I am making this for mother’s day and I have a question. You wrote “In a half hotel pan, place nine 4oz. ramekins and fill them with the crème brulee mixture leaving 1/2 inch. Add boiling water until it reaches half way up the ramekins.” What do you mean by “leaving 1/2 inch.?” Fill up leaving a half an inch and then add water to a quarter inch left or do you mean put in 1/2 inch of the creme brulee then add water to go up half way of the ramekin?
Laura,
Any time you are making a baked dish such as Creme Brulee, you want to leave room at the top of each ramekin for it to expand. In this case, about a 1/2 inch.
Enjoy!
Thank you very much! This is my first attempt!