Eggless Crème Brûlée

Crème Brûlée is an egg based custard topped with a crunchy caramel layer. The crunchy caramel layer is usually formed with sprinkling sugar and heating it with a blow torch to caramelize it. A caramel disc may also be prepared and the custard can be topped with this disc while serving. For Baking Eggless Group Challenge, Vimala Lakshmi of Cooking Club suggested this from Sanjeev Kapoor's website. The egg in the custard makes it a creamy pudding. And the caramel layer needed a blow torch. These were the challenges we had to face during the preparation. I successfully replaced the eggs with china grass and used a heated spoon instead of a blow torch ( the idea is not my own. I adapted it from here) and the custard turned out fabulous. Though the caramel layer was uneven, it's crunchiness was a perfect combination to the creamy pudding. The quantity made 6 small ramekins of crème brûlée and we both enjoyed them to the core. The Baking Eggless Group has completed two years successfully and we really had a great time converting twenty four egg based recipes into eggless ones. And I hope to continue it for this year also and you will see more interesting recipes in future...


The problem with the heated spoon I used was, it became dark in colour with second heating and the sugar got stuck to the spoon. So every time you use the heated spoon to caramelize, clean it and use it again. It would be time consuming. I made three puddings using the heated spoon. The other three, I placed them with the sugar on the top shelf of oven and allowed it to caramelize. But in that method, sugar started boiling and mixed into the already set custard and there was no crust on top. Next time I am planning to make the caramel and pour it on the set custard for the perfect crunch to balance the creaminess of the custard.  See how creamy the custard has turned out. I was so happy with the result. 


Recipe Adapted From Sanjeev Kapoor
Makes 6 Small Ramekins
Ingredients:
Milk-2 cups
Fresh Cream-1 cup
Sugar-1 cup
China Grass-5 gm
Vanilla Essence-1 tsp
Corn Flour-2 tbs

Sugar-6 tsp for topping

Procedure:
1. Mix corn flour with 1/4 cup of milk with out any lumps.
2. In a pan add this corn flour mixture along with remaining milk, cream, sugar and china grass.
3. Heat it on medium flame until the china grass dissolves in the milk. Do not allow it to boil.
4. Remove from flame, and strain the mixture. Add vanilla and mix well.
5. Preheat oven to 200C.
6. Pour the mixture into 6 ramekins.
7. Fill a deep baking tray to 1/3rd with water.
8. Place the ramekins inside.
9. Bake it in oven for 20-25 minutes. The top will start browning.
10. remove from oven and allow them to cool. Cover with foil and refrigerate for 2 hours. By the end it will be set.
11. Sprinkle the top with sugar.
12. Heat a spoon until piping hot and place it on top of the sugar. Wait until the sugar caramelizes. Repeat for the other ramekins also.
13. Serve immediately.



Mix together all the ingredients.



Heat until china grass dissolves.



Strain the mixture to get lump free mixture.



Pour into ramekins.



Place in a water tray.



Bake until the top is brown. Refrigerate for 2 hours.



Sprinkle sugar on top.




Heat a spoon and place on top of sugar.



Let the sugar caramelize.



Enjoy !!!!!


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