The following recipe and techniques are the culmination of a few years of custard making; a few hundred (maybe more) batches of dairy product tempered into egg yolks. Different creme brulee recipes are everywhere; the age-old process has seen many revisions. My version here is distinctly Americanized, uniquely prepared to remind one of the ever familiar and ubiquitous peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Two time-honored edibles combined into one fun dessert. Another unique thing about this technique, I don’t bake the custards in a water bath. A low oven of 215 F is used to slowly thicken and cook the eggs. Proper time and rotation insures a set and finished custard without all the awkward and dangerous jostling of a sheet tray filled with scalding hot water. Another quick tip? After pouring the custard into the ramekins, quickly run the blow torch over each one to pop any air bubbles.
Peanut Butter & Jelly
Creme Brulee
1 1/3 cups whole milk
1 1/3 cups whipping cream
6 tablespoons plus 6 teaspoons sugar
5+ oz creamy peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned style or freshly ground)
8 large egg yolks
marionberry jam as needed (or any other jam that you prefer)
- Combine milk, cream, sugar and scald
- Temper in eggs
- Temper in peanut butter and whisk until smooth
- Taste the cream. I always end up adding a little more peanut butter, up to 1 cup
- Strain the cream and chill overnight or at least three hours.
- Place the jam in a saucepot and reduce it by one-third over low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Cool the jam slighty and then spread it in an even layer into the bottom of desired (deep) ramekin. Pop them in the freezer to set the jam.
When the jam is super cold and won’t be distured by pouring in the custard, pour in the custard. Run the blow torch over them quickly to pop any air bubbles.- Bake the brulee in a preheated 215 degreee convection ovev for 30 minutes. Carefully rotate the pan and bake another 15 minutes. Rotate again and bake until set but still slightly jiggly in the center, checking every 5 minutes.
- Chill thoroughly before bruleeing with a blow torch and granulated sugar.