[Rachel]

I never thought I'd be submitting this post, but... I made the chocolate hibiscus creme brulee yesterday and it didn't quite work. It tasted wonderful (and the top even caramelised properly sans blowtorch) but the consistency was too liquid - not quite pourable, but pretty close.

As this is, first of all, my first ever attempt at creme brulee, and second, the 35th recipe I've tried from the book (really!) and the first one that didn't turn out perfectly, I'm inclined to think it was me and not the recipe. I've thought about possible problem points and this is what I came up with:

1. How much should I have beaten the egg yolks and sugar? I whisked them with a wire whisk until they were amalgamated; should I have used an electric beater and beaten them until they were pale and fluffy?

2. Were my ramekins the wrong shape/size/material? Mine aren't wide, shallow and ceramic, but relatively small and deep (about 3" across and 2" deep, and I had to fill them almost to the top) and made of glass.

3. Should I have bruleed them straight out of the fridge rather than letting them come to room temperature for 30 minutes first?

I should also note that oven temperature was not the problem - I have an oven thermometer so I know the oven didn't deceive me.

If anyone can help, I'd be very grateful. I adore creme brulee and I want to get it right! (and if the ramekins are the source of the problem, well... 'tis the season for kitchen gifts!)

[clotilde]

Dear Rachel,
Sorry this wasn't as successful as it should have been.
What sort of cream did you use?
From what you describe, my best guess is that it has to do with the shape of the ramekins: poured into a wide and shallow ramekin, the cream will cook and set much faster than in a narrower, deeper one.
If you try this again with the same vessels, I would suggest you lower the oven temp a little, and cook the crèmes for a little longer.
One final question: how hot was the water that you poured in for the water bath? It should be very hot (I pour it in straight from the kettle) otherwise it will slow down the cooking a bit.
Clotilde.

[Rachel]

Clotilde, thanks for the suggestions, very much appreciated! I think you're probably right about the ramekins. I did use very hot water straight from the kettle, so I don't think that was the problem.

I used heavy (whipping) cream. That was the only type I could find - I looked high and low for light cream but no luck. (It did seem roughly the same consistency as what would be called single cream in Britain, so I assumed it would be okay.) Could that have contributed to the problem?