30.11.07

F3 presents....Boozy berry brûlée

You knew it was going to be fruits today. Which, one has realised, is the secret to getting people to open up and comment (this week's posts as proof). Hopefully, this will be the last of such posts for a while. See you next week.

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Time Required:
Preparation: 5 minutes (excluding soaking time)
Cooking: 10 minutes

Keep ready:
Ripe straw-, rasp-, black- and blue-berries, chopped
Vodka, rum, or brandy - or combinations thereof
Cinnamon powder
Thick double cream
Mascarapone *
Cocoa powder
Light muscovado sugar (or any brown sugar)

Then:
Soak the berries in the liquor of choice for at least 15 minutes, but as long as possible. Mix in the cinnamon powder, and spoon the fruit into individual ramekins so that it fills 2/3rds of each bowl. Separately, whisk together 4 parts cream to 1 part mascarapone, lightly sprinkle cocoa powder, and fill up the rest of each ramekin, compacting it down.

Bake for 5 minutes at 220C, remove, sprinkle each bowl liberally with the sugar, and grill lightly for 2-3 minutes.

Cool slightly, and serve.

Why you should try this:
Because it's fruits, and you like them. Admit it.
Besides, it's fruits soaked in booze.
With cream.
And you can just imagine that lightly-warm dripping mixture of sweet-and-sharp berries, cream, booze, chocolate and sugar.

Focus on:
1) Using only spirits. Wine doesn't quite seem to go with this, although it's ok if you've got nothing else. You can also make it without the booze, but where's the fun in that?
2) Don't overbake the dish. You want the fruits to be softened, not soggy, and the cheese/cream mixture to just start melting.


* It's just for thickening, and for flavour. You can always use fromage frais instead, or just the cream on its own.

7 comments:

Tabula Rasa said...

um, mascarapone?
for the dressing?

??! said...

not dressing, covering. is only to bind the cream a bit, and give it a bit of flavour.

why? no like? ok, ditch. use only cream.

Renovatio said...

A variation, from me, as always... swap the mascarapone and cream with maple syrup.

That Armchair Philosopher said...

@?? - ooh. this is even better than the other fruit post. but - food posts + foodies = comment manna. but you knew that, right? :)

@renovatio - noooo. maple syrup would dilute the fluffiness, an important part of the brulee! else you'd just have some sweetened fruit preserve, yes?

Tabula Rasa said...

you people can really make a fellow doubt himself, can't you? this is why i went with the asch study.

Renovatio said...

@tap
Maple syrup actually works in a way as bindy as the mascarpone. When mixed with liquor of choice, it loses it's distinct mapley flavor. I suggested that alternative for when mascarpone's unavailable.

??! said...

prof:
heheheh.

ren:
hmmm...interesting. but ratio of cream to syrup would have to change, otherwise it'd be too gloopy. But interesting.