chocolate ginger blueberry crème brûlée

For those of you who read one to two to several blogs, you will understand my indubitable ennui when I tell you that my Google Reader currently has 341 unread posts. I’m trying to keep up on all that you out there, on the frontiers of the crazy wild internet, have to offer, but I’m doing battle with a foe I cannot conquer: a slow internet connection (and a desire to do other things…. like watch episodes of The Vampire Diaries). Like a grumpy curmudgeon, I trundle along each night, making my way slooowly across the endless pages of the web. Where would our lives be without it, I ask you.

Would we be free to quietly enjoy the last throes of winter, storm upon storm bringing impressive blizzards and quickly accumulating snow cover; would we seek out the small telltale hints of green peeking through on the forest floor, trumpeting proudly that spring is on the way? Or would we simply be searching, impatiently, for the next big technologic thing?

I guess we’ll never know, because this here’s the internet, and it’s growing mightier every day.

 

Today I would like to showcase the 689th post in an impromptu series I like to call “What to Make When It is Summer, or, Get Cooking Already! Your Freezer is Jam-Packed with Blueberries.” Interestingly enough, you may recall that Post #688 (Post#3, in actuality) also featured the stellar duo of ginger and blueberry – - looks like the recipe apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

But. BUT! Oh my goodness. The idea for this Chocolate Ginger Blueberry Crème Brûlée came to me, like in a dream. Like a crazy dream, you know, where you aren’t quite sure if the thoughts that sound so radical in your head will turn out to be only subpar once they reach your tastebuds?

Those dreams are the worst – - but also the best, because sometimes they produce lovely results such as you see here.

A hearty crunch of burnt sugar tops a near-pudding like dream of chocolate custard that is mixed with juicy blueberries and perfectly spiced with both fresh and dried ginger. I don’t always crow the deliciousness of my recipes, but oh man is this a winner. Try it out and you will not be disappointed (I sincerely hope).

Chocolate Ginger Blueberry Crème Brûlée {basic brûlée found here}

Makes 5 individual servings

++Ingredients:++

2 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. sugar
3/4 tsp freshly-grated ginger
1/2 tsp dried ground ginger
3 oz dark/bittersweet chocolate
3 tbsp sugar
5 egg yolks
1 1/2 c. fresh or frozen (and defrosted) blueberries
5 tbsp sugar, to top custards

++Directions:++

Preheat oven to 275F. In a small pan, bring cream, 1/4 c. sugar and freshly-grated ginger to a simmer over medium heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Add ground ginger and chocolate, and whisk until combined.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk 3 tbsp sugar with egg yolks. Whisking constantly to avoid the dreaded scrambled-eggs-in-pudding outcome, pour the egg mixture into the pan in a slow but steady stream. Cook for one to two minutes more, then remove from heat.

At this point some of you may want to strain your custard through a mesh sieve. Unlike some custards, this one (being more pudding-like) does not seem to produce any lumps, so straining is to me quite unnecessary.

Distribute blueberries evenly amongst five ramekins. Pour custard mixture on top of blueberries. Place ramekins inside of a baking or roasting pan, and fill pan with boiling water until the waterline reaches 2/3rds the heights of the ramekins. Bake for 40 minutes to one hour, or until the custards have set – if you press down in the center and you feel some resistance, your custard has set.

Let custards cool for at least 30 minutes in the fridge (or ten minutes on the counter if you are impatient like me). Top each ramekin with 1 tbsp of sugar. Use a kitchen torch to create the brûléed effect of caramelization; in place of a kitchen torch, broil for one or two minutes on the top rack of your oven.

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