Some years ago, I took part in a lovely food contest organised by my dear friend Betulla, called Il Bosco In Cucina (The Forest in the Kitchen), in collaboration with Locanda 2 Camini in Baselga di Piné.
I had discovered the initiative rather late, and I was determined to take part before the deadline. Luckily, I already had the perfect recipe: this chestnut crème brûlée, a dessert I had made several times before and which had always been a hit.
There was just one small problem. The only photographs I had were taken with an old compact camera, back when my idea of good lighting was simply placing the bowl underneath the kitchen ceiling light. Not exactly the kind of pictures I wanted to submit, even though this was a contest about the substance of a recipe rather than photography!
So I took some new pictures at the very last minute. I caramelised just one little dish, as we had already eaten out the previous evening and the bathroom scales were not going to forgive me. But I was happy to do it: I really wanted to be part of the initiative.
Betulla is still a dear friend of mine, and remembering that contest is a lovely excuse to share this recipe again.
Chestnut Crème Brûlée
A creamy, delicate dessert with the warm, earthy flavour of chestnuts. The crisp layer of caramelised brown sugar makes a lovely contrast with the smooth custard underneath.
Recipe
Yield: 5 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes (estimated)
Resting time: Until completely cool; refrigerate until serving
Cooking time: Approximately 30 minutes
Total time: About 45 minutes, plus cooling and chilling
Ingredients
4 egg yolks
25 g caster sugar
100 g chestnut cream
150 ml whole milk
200 ml fresh cream
5 tablespoons brown sugar, for the topping
Method
In a large bowl, whisk together the chestnut cream, milk and fresh cream until the chestnut cream has completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth, with no lumps.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the caster sugar until pale, fluffy and light yellow.
Gradually combine the two mixtures, stirring gently until evenly blended.
Divide the mixture between five ovenproof ramekins.
Bake in a preheated oven at 120°C for approximately 30 minutes.
Leave the crème brûlées to cool completely. You can then refrigerate them until ready to serve.
Just before serving, sprinkle each ramekin with brown sugar and caramelise it using a kitchen torch. Alternatively, place the ramekins under a very hot grill until the sugar turns golden.
A kitchen torch is the better option, as the custard should not become too hot if you want to preserve its delicate texture.
Notes
Prepare the custards ahead of time and caramelise the sugar only just before serving.
If using the oven grill, keep a close eye on the sugar: it can go from golden to burnt very quickly.
The kitchen torch gives you more control and helps keep the custard cool.
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