3997. MAPLE BACON CREME BRULEE

Maple Crème Brulée

5 egg yolks

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

2 cups whipping cream (35%)

1/4 cup maple sugar (for the brulée)

Maple Candied Bacon

6 slices thick cut bacon

2/3 cup pure maple syrup

Maple Crème Brulée

Preheat oven to 300ºF.

In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and maple syrup until the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Add cream and continue to whisk until well blended. Strain into a large bowl, skimming off any foam or bubbles.

Divide mixture among 5 ramekins or custard cups. Place ramekins in a water bath (large pan filled with 1 or 2 inches of hot water) and bake until set around the edges, but still loose in the center, about 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled. Remove cups from water bath and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.

When ready to serve, sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of maple sugar over each custard. For best results, use a small, hand-held torch to melt sugar.

Top with Maple Bacon.

Maple Candied Bacon

Arrange bacon in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bake in a 400ºF degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven; drain fat.

Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF degrees. Pour maple syrup over bacon; flip to coat. Bake, flipping bacon and rotating pan halfway through, until bacon is golden brown and syrup is thick, about 35 minutes. (Keep a close eye on it for the last 10 minutes.)

Transfer bacon to parchment using tongs. Let cool to harden.

bacon recipe source: Ruby Reduction, May 14, 2012

3964. VANILLA THYME CRÈME BRÛLÉE with CANDIED BACON

Crème Brûlée

1⅓ cups (330 ml) heavy cream

⅔ cup (160 ml) whole or low-fat milk

¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar, plus more for caramelizing

Pinch sea salt or kosher salt

4 large egg yolks

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

1 tsp of fresh thyme

Candied Bacon

6 thick cut slices of bacon

⅓ cup (65g) of dark brown sugar

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

2 tbsp of powdered sugar

1 tsp of cinnamon

Crème Brûlée

On the stovetop, gently warm the milk, cream, salt and sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar melts.

Once the cream mixture starts to steam, but not boil, remove from heat and whisk in the scraped vanilla and fresh thyme. Drop in the split pod and let it rest for 30 minutes.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks together lightly. Remove the pod from the cream mixture and gradually add to the egg yolks until completely blended.

Pour the mixture into each dish until you almost reach the top of each and place them on a baking sheet with walls high enough to hold water up to the middle of each dish. Pour the hot water into the baking sheet and place into the oven for approximately 30-35 minutes. They should each barely quiver when you tap the sheet.

Remove the custards and let them rest on a cooling rack. When cool, refrigerate for approximately an hour (covered with plastic wrap if doing so overnight)

Candied Bacon

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F

In a medium sized mixing bowl, toss the bacon and brown sugar until all slices are evenly covered. Arrange each slice on a baking sheet lined with foil about an inch apart and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Check it at the 20 minute mark to see if it's looks crispy. It will continue to crisp once it's out of the oven.

When ready, place on a cooling rack and allow the brown sugar coating to harden.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

Combine cream, sugar and cinnamon to a medium sized mixing bowl and whisk (or use a hand mixer) until soft peaks form. I chilled ours for 15 minutes (while the bacon rested).

Caramelizing the Sugar

Before serving, add 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar to the top of each cooled custard and tilt until the entire top is covered lightly. Using a torch, wave over the sugar and tilt slightly until it melts and browns. Be careful will shifting the dish as the liquid sugar is very hot. Once caramelized, add the whipped cream and bacon.

bacon recipe source: Thyme & Temp (@thymeandtemp), April 26, 2015