Pumpkin Creme Brulee

A little twist on a classic dessert

Since this is the time of year that squashes are in season, why not add a little to a classic dish. Creme Brulee is a baked custard dessert that is then topped with a hardened layer of burnt sugar, which is what the name of the dish means, "Burnt Sugar". This recipe will make about 2 1/2 5" ramekins, which are baked in a Bain-Marie, or water bath.

Ingrediants Include:

1 Cup Heavy Cream
Pinch of Salt (small pinch)
Pinch of Nutmeg
2 Egg Yolks
3 Tbls Sugar
1/2 Cup Pumpkin

Place the heavy cream, nutmeg and small pinch of salt in a sauce pan and heat on medium heat until it starts to just bubble a little, you don't want to boil it. While you are watching that mix the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl stir until the mixer is a pale yellow in color. Add a little bit of the cream to the yolk mixture, stir together, the poor the yolk mixture back into the pan with the rest of the cream, this technique in called "Tempering". You slowly bring the yolks up to the same temperature of the cream, then add it to the rest of the mixture, this technique prevents curdling. Now add in the pumpkin and stir together, pour through a strainer and then pour out into the ramekins.
Place the ramekins into a retangled baking dish, you can add a small towel on the bottom to prevent the ramekins for sliding around, and then place the dish on a rack in your 350 F oven, and add enough water to come at least half way up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for about an hour and 20-25 minutes until custard is just firm, cool and place into the fridge for about 3 hours to set up.
To finish either use a small kitch blow torch or your broiler and burn a thin layer of sugar on the top of the creme brulee, to make a nice hard layer of caralized sugar.

Duxelles Farci escalope de Poulet (Chicken Breast stuffed w/Duxelles)

This is a dish I made last night with the Duxelles I made earlier, then kept frozen. Not totally sure if the name of the dish is correct, since I wasn't really going by a recipe, but kinda using some basics and creating a dish.

I should have mentioned in the Duxelles post, that it will reduce down alot when you are cooking it, the cup of mushrooms will not stay 1 cup of mushrooms, but more like a 1/3 of a cup.

Ingrediants Include:

2 chicken breast
1/3 Cup of Duxelles
1 Tbl Olive oil
1 1/2 Tbl Butter
2 Tbl diced shallots
1 small glove garlic
1/3 Cup of White Wine
1/3 Cup of Chicken Broth
3 Tbl Heavy Cream
Salt
Pepper

I took a skinless, boneless chicken breast and flattened it out a little using the smooth side of a meat tenderizing mallot. I first placed the chicken breast in/between some plastic wrapping, then flatten with inside out striking motions, hitting more in the center of the breast and moving to the outside edge until about 1/2 inch thick.
I then heated the Duxelles up a little and put a nice layer onto the chicken breast. Carefully roll the breast up into a log, tie shut with twine, or use toothpicks to hold the opened edge together.
In a skillet heat up 1 Tbl each of olive oil and butter on medium to med. high heat, place rolled chicken into hot pan and cook, searing all sides till chicken is completely done. Remove chicken and place on a plate to rest. Reduce heat to medium and place the remaining 1/2 Tbl of butter, shallots, garlic and saute until shallots are soft. Add wine, reduce by half, the add broth and reduce by half, finish with heavy cream and any juices from chicken and reduce to thick consistancy. Strain the sauce and place on the bottom of a plate, cut chicken in half and arrange on plate.