Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Warning: the following sentence will make you want to smack me across the head.

I just returned from a girls weekend on Malta (I'll post some food pics soon) and that was THE best dessert I may have ever had. My friend Shannon wants to recreate it for our cooking club this Friday and I told her I know just the folks to ask. The custard was pink and tasted like fresh strawberries, no seeds. There was some vanilla in there but I don't think anything else. Anyone have any ideas how to do this? Can some of the cream just be subbed out for the fruit purée? I have been having inappropriate dreams about this dessert so your prompt response would be appreciated.

Mary

Just curious, did it have a caramelized sugar crust, as per the classic?

I wonder if you could use a flavored tea infusion, my girls really like a strawberry tea made by Amahd http://www.ahmadtea.com/

I has a very nice bright strawberry flavor.

There other teas are very good as well, I really like the English Breakfast, it is considered top of the line tea in Russia...

Yes indeed.

Mary,

Tell us about the texture of the creme brulee. If it was perfectly silky, like unflavored brulee, it would have been make with strawberry juice or strawberry syrup. If it had a little more texture, a bit like pumkin pie, it would have been made with macerated, mashed and strained strawberries. In either case, you may need some lemon juice if the strawberries do not have a good balance of acid to sugar.

It should be very easy to replicate. If you use the juice of fresh berries, it may require reducing the juice to jack the flavor. A combo of juice and syrup may work best. (I can't comment on the flavor of syrup.)

Let us know what works best.

Tim

It was very smooth and creamy. I think it was fresh strawberry juice, it was a real strawberry flavor, not sweet enough to be a syrup and too ripe tasting to be a tea. I even wondered if it was stirred into a cooked cream but the texture was too uniform for that. Did I mention it was amazing?


Mary

Mary, I've not made this, but this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6RVm7yZ-TA appears to be just what you want. Cooked, sieved, strawberries, the whole thing is sieved and she talks about it being smooth. Uses vanilla bean instead of extract. Hope it is helpful.

Creme brulee is probably my favorite dessert. I can't wait to try this. Thanks. Deb (no longer a lurker )

Hah, I knew we'd lure you out of your shell ...

Welcome Deb, this is worth coming out of hiding for. That looks like what I need Alina, thanks!

I am not a big dessert maker so any input into any technicalities in the video would be greatly appreciated.

Mary