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Vegan crème brûlée, with coconut milk


We aren’t going to argue here. This has got to be one of everyone’s favorite desserts (at least in my family). 

Maybe you know your dessert history, but did you know this dessert was in a French cookbook that dates back to 1691? This custard, which translates from French to "burnt cream", last appeared in recipe books in the 1700's and then disappeared until the 1980's.  Too many wars going on? Hoards of explorers/cooks too busy leaving the country and founding new continents?  Not enough chickens crossing the road for the inordinate amount of eggs needed?  Not really sure of the answer, but suffice to say that it is now a popular dessert in most restaurants in France along with the usual choices of chocolate mousse or fondant, thin apple tart, floating island (more about all of those other dessert superstars another time)...

I’ve decided to try a non dairy and no eggs vegan recipe.  Lockdown oblige, here’s a version with ingredients we had at home :

2 x 200 ml coconut cream
400 ml unsweetened almond milk (or soy, or rice or any other plant based milk)
50 ml maple or agave syrup
3 tablespoons cashew butter
2 tablespoons of corn or potato starch
2 tablespoons agar agar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or real bean
1/2 teaspoon turmeric (optional)

For glaze: 1/2 cup sugar

Mix starch in 1/2 cup of milk until dissolved.  In a small pot, heat up remaining milk and mix in starch mixture, cashew butter, coconut cream, syrup, agar, sugar, vanilla. Whisk until frothy and slightly thickened on medium heat, about 3-5 minutes, taking care it doesn't boil over.  Pour into ramequins and allow to cool on counter, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. 




Once set, just before serving add sugar glaze by sprinkling a tablespoon of sugar over the custard and with a kitchen blowtorch, melt the sugar until golden and crispy.  You can also put the ramequins on the top rack in the oven on broiler setting for a couple minutes, however this can soften the custard a bit.  

A few things to take into consideration : for the glazing, brown sugar melts faster than refined sugar, and sprinkle the sugar over the whole custard surface before you fire up or you’ll just char the custard (like me). Finally, remember to open the window a crack if you're using a kitchen torch, or you may set off the smoke detector 😎

Enjoy, everyone !

Version française : 

Nous n'allons pas se chamailler ici. La crème brulée doit être l’un des desserts préférés de tout le monde (du moins dans ma famille).

Peut-être connaissez-vous votre histoire de desserts, mais saviez-vous que ce dessert figurait dans un livre de cuisine français datant de 1691? Il est apparue pour la dernière fois dans les livres de recettes dans les années 1700 puis a disparu jusqu'aux années 1980. Trop de guerres en cours? Des hordes d'explorateurs / cuisiniers trop occupés à quitter le pays et à s'établir dans de nouveaux continents? Pas assez de poulets pour la quantité excessive d'œufs nécessaire? Pas vraiment sûre de la réponse, mais il suffit de dire que c'est de nos jours un dessert très populaire dans la plupart des restaurants en France avec les choix habituels de mousse au chocolat ou fondant, tarte fine aux pommes, île flottante (plus sur toutes ces autres desserts incontournables une autre fois) ...

J'ai décidé d'essayer une recette végan, au moins, sans produits laitiers et sans œufs. Vu le confinement, voici une version avec des ingrédients que nous avions à la maison:

2 x 200 ml de crème de coco
400 ml de lait d'amande non sucré (ou de soja, ou de riz ou tout autre lait végétal)
50 ml de sirop d'érable ou d'agave
3 cuillères à soupe de beurre de cajoue ou d'amande
2 cuillères à soupe de fécule de maïs ou de pomme de terre
2 cuillères à soupe d'agar-agar
1/2 tasse de sucre
1 cuillère à soupe d'extrait de vanille ou de vrai haricot
1/2 cuillère à café de curcuma (facultatif)

Pour le glaçage: 1/2 tasse de cassonade ou sucre vergoise

Mélanger la fécule dans 1/2 tasse de lait jusqu'à dissolution. Dans une casserole, chauffer le reste du lait et mélanger la fécule diluée, le beurre de cajou, la crème de coco, le sirop, l'agar, le sucre, et la vanille. Fouetter jusqu'à ce qu'il soit mousseux et légèrement épaissi à feu moyen, environ 3-5 minutes, en veillant à ce qu'il ne déborde pas. Verser dans les ramequins et laisser refroidir sur le comptoir, puis réfrigérer au moins 6 heures ou toute la nuit.

Une fois pris, juste avant de servir, ajoutez le sucre glace en saupoudrant une cuillère à soupe de sucre sur la crème et avec un chalumeau de cuisine, faites fondre le sucre jusqu'à ce qu'il soit doré et croustillant. Vous pouvez également mettre les ramequins au four (au reglage grill) pendant quelques minutes, mais cela peut ramollir un peu la crème.  Quelques astuces : le sucre vergoise se carmélise plus rapidement que la cassonnade. Pensez à ouvrir les fênetres au risque de déclencher le détecteur de fumé 😉

Bon appétit, tout le monde!

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