Recipe Monday: Mango Creme Brulee

Let me just caution you at the outset that this is not low-fat, low-carb, or low-sugar. Actually, it’s not that bad, sugar-wise. This is, however, dessert at its most indulgent – or at least as indulgent as you can get without chocolate – and unless you have the metabolism of an Olsen twin (Happy Birthday, Mary-Kate & Ashley!), I’m going to venture a guess that you’re going to save this one for a special occasion.

And you should! It’s creamy and dreamy and I won the Best Dessert prize with it at the 2003 Fairchild Tropical Garden Mango Cook-Off. And it’s so damn easy to make, it’s ridiculous. No double-boilers, no stove-top cooking, no wondering “Is this right?”. At the contest, I made this whole recipe on a folding table with nothing but my hand immersion blender and (for demo purposes only) a toaster oven! Also, since you puree and strain the fruit, you can use any grocery store mango (or even frozen), as long as it’s ripe.

I’m sorry that I don’t have any photos – because of MJ’s diet, I am restraining myself, this year. Sucks. I could take a picture of the award on my kitchen wall, but that would be just too narcisistic for words. Even for me. :-))

RJ’s Easy Mango Crème Brulee

(makes Six 2/3 cup servings)

2 cups mango pieces
1/2 teaspoon allspice
8 egg yolks (size large eggs)
1/3 cup white sugar
2 cups regular whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt

Additional sugar – white, turbinado, or raw – for topping

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F.

Puree mango with the allspice until thoroughly blended, then strain through a sieve, pressing with a spoon, to remove all fibers and lumps into a small bowl. You should wind up with a cup or a little more of strained puree. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks with 1/3 cup sugar till sugar is dissolved and the mixture is creamy and light yellow. Add cream, vanilla, and salt, and blend thoroughly. Fill oven-proof ramekins or custard dishes about 1/2 – 2/3 full with the custard mixture, then spoon 2 tablespoons of the mango puree into the center of each. Spoon remaining custard over the top.

Make a water bath (fancy term: bain Marie) by placing a terry kitchen towel (or a silicone mat or even a couple of silicone potholders) in the bottom of a deep casserole dish or roaster pan (large enough to hold your custard cups without touching each other). Place filled custard cups into the prepared casserole or roaster, carry to the oven, and add enough warm water to come about 1/2 way up the sides of the cups.

Bake for 40 minutes. The custards will be barely set and will jiggle.

Remove the custards from the water bath and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours (or 1 hour in the freezer).

Sprinkle about 1 tsp. of the white, turbinado, or raw sugar over each custard. Make sure the sugar covers the custard completely. Caramelize the sugar either with a small hand-held torch or under the broiler for about 2 minutes or until browned to your liking. When it cools, there should be a hard shell over the top. Chill until ready to serve.

*Note: You can prepare the custards up to 24 hours ahead. When you remove them from the oven, let them cool to room temperature, still in the water bath, then remove from bath, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Do not prepare the caramelized sugar topping until ready to serve.

If you have any questions, I’ll answer them in the comments. Enjoy!