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Raspberry-Chocolate Crème Brulée
Show: December 18, 2003

Tante Marie's Cooking School

Ingredients: Serves 8

1 quart heavy cream
1 vanilla bean
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
Salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs milk or heavy cream
1/2 cup ground blanched almond
1 pint fresh raspberries
Sugar
2-3 tbs Framboise or kirsch
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

To make the custard:
In a large saucepan, scald the cream with the vanilla bean. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until light and lemon colored. Slowly stir in the hot cream with a pinch of salt. strain the mixture into a eight shallow baking dishes (4 oz. capacity). Place dishes in a larger pan of hot water, cover with foil, and bake in a 325° oven for 45 minutes, or until barely set. Cool at room temp. Chill.

To make cookies:
In a saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, flour, salt, milk and ground almonds. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the butter melts. Drop this mixture by tablespoonfuls on cookie sheets lines with parchment, four to a sheet. Bake about four at a time in a preheated 375° oven for 6-8 min., or until the cookies are lightly browned on the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.

Macerate the raspberries in a small bowl with a sprinkling of sugar and optionally Framboise or kirsch.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler. When the cookies are cooled, with a pastry brush, brush a 1/4-inch layer of chocolate on the bottom of each cookie.

To serve, place a cookie, chocolate side down, on a baked custard, spoon in the center a large spoonful of raspberries and duet with confectionary. sugar, if desired. (This is my interpretation of a dessert developed by Anna for Tra vigne in the Napa Valley.