Duck Egg Crème Caramel & Crème brûlée
This duck egg custard recipe is a pick your adventure road to incredibly rich and creamy crème caramel, crème brûlée (or split the custard and make both!)
Equipment
- 8 6 oz Ramekins
- 1 Kitchen torch
- 1 Oven dish large enough to fit the ramekins More than one oven dish can be used if needed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 Cups Granulated sugar
- 2 Cups Whole milk
- 2 Cups Heavy cream
- 4 Duck egg yolks
- 1 Whole duck egg
- 1 Generous pinch of kosher salt
- 1 Vanilla bean 2 tsp of vanilla extract can be used in place of the vanilla bean.
Instructions
Egg Custard
- Preheat oven to 325°.
- Combine the duck egg yolks, whole duck egg and 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until sugar is dissolved and mixture becomes a pale yellow (about 5 minutes).
- Using a pairing knife, cut the vanilla bean down the center and scrape out the seeds. Combine the whole milk, heavy cream, salt, vanilla seeds and vanilla bean pod in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium low heat while stirring occasionally to avoid scorching the cream.
- Once it begins to simmer remove from heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes. This step is to allow the vanilla seeds and pod to steep in the cream.
- Remove the vanilla bean pod from the cream, and slowly pour into the egg and sugar mixture while continuously whisking together. Ensure the hot cream is poured slowly and whisked continuously to avoid cooking the eggs.
- Strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer to remove any eggs that might have cooked.
Crème Caramel
- To make enough caramel for four of the ramekins combine 6 tbsp of the remaining sugar with 2 tbsp of water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Use a brush dipped in water to brush down any undissolved sugar. Once the now melted sugar is browned remove it from the heat. The darker the brown the more bitter the caramel, so ensure to remove from the heat when it's reached your preferred state.
- Divide the caramel while it is still very hot and liquid into the four ramekins. If allowed to cool, the caramel will harden and will not pour.
- Fill the ramekins with the egg custard, and place in oven dish. If only making crème caramel, place the oven dish with the ramekins on oven rack and pour in boiling water into oven dish to cover about halfway up the ramekins. Cook for 30-40 minutes. To check for doneness, slightly jiggle the ramekins. The sides of the custard should be set with some movement in the center. Let rest for at least 3 hours in the fridge.
- To serve, once chilled, use an offset spatula or pairing knife to run around the edges to ensure the custard is separated from the ramekin. Place serving dish on top of ramekin and flip over so that the caramelized side is facing up.
Crème brûlée
- Fill 6 oz ramekins with egg custard and place in oven dish. Place on oven rack and fill the oven dish with boiling water until the ramekins are about halfway covered. Cook for 30-40 minutes. To check for doneness, slightly jiggle the ramekins. The sides of the custard should be set with some movement in the center. Let rest for at least 3 hours in the fridge.
- Once chilled, use a teaspoon to sprinkle a layer of sugar over the top of the crème brûlées. Using a kitchen torch in a circular motion, caramelize the sugar coating until browned. Sprinkle a second layer of sugar and caramelize again. Ensure to caramelize sugar right before enjoying to avoid the sugar re-dissolving.
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