Our visit to Mount Wilson and Mount Irvine during the Easter weekend was one which I will always remember. The 3 hour drive from Sydney was so scenic with rapidly changing landscapes and beautiful views that at one point I wondered if we would be able to make it to our destination, for the number of times we pulled over to take pictures. The trees were a riot of colors, a spectrum of shades. Crimson,fiery reds,browns, yellows, gold. And the ground was covered with the fallen leaves as if setting the road ablaze. Occasionally a puffing wind came by and made them dance around and fall back to the ground.
We stopped at the Cathedral of Ferns, a large picnic spot which we was crowded as expected considering the season and the long weekend. We had lunch (prepacked) on a rustic wooden table under a bright red tree. I could eat there all my life.
After an hour or so when I thought I had enough pictures to record every little detail of the journey we drove on to the next intended spot …the Kookootonga Nut farms. This my friends, I shall write about in my next post. There’s too much to share . And then when you bring back ‘PYO’ , you make something out of it which deserves a post by itself.
Persimmons were unfamiliar to me until recently. But now I can never have enough of them. I generally add them to salad or eat them by themselves but this time the temptation to add them to dessert was too all too powerful.
Mousse was the first thought that came to my mind. And then my eyes fell on my favourite little gadget sitting in one corner of the kitchen -the blowtorch. So, Creme Brule it is! I have to admit however, things didn’t go how I planned the first time around. The pureed version of the fruit resulted in a curdled custard. For a person who has made creme brulee over a hundred times, this was the first of such a disaster. I made a second batch and this time I placed small pieces of fruit in the ramekins instead of adding Persimmon puree to the custard. The second time it was great!
Persimmon Creme Brulee
Serves 4
13/4 cups heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 3 tsp castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
pinch of salt
1 Persimmon chopped into small cubes
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C.
Divide the chopped Persimmons between 4 ramekins/oven proof serving bowls and place them on the base of the ramekin.
Pour the cream in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over low-medium heat. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, lightly whisk egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar and salt. Pour 2 tsps of the cream into the egg yolk mixture to temper the yolks and then the remaining cream, whisking gently but constantly (do not whisk too hard or it will result in a frothy texture). Add the vanilla extract and stir.
Strain the egg-cream mixture equally into the ramekins and place them on a rimmed baking tray.
Pour boiling water carefully in the tray so that it comes up to 2/3rd the level of the custard in the ramekin. Transfer the tray into the centre of the oven.
Bake till the edges of the custard are set but the centre is still jiggly. This could take anywhere between 30-45 mins depending on the bakeware. To check for doneness, insert a pair of tongs into the oven and give the ramekins a genle shake. (The custard should not brown or rise).
Once done, carefully remove the tray from the oven and take out the ramekins using a slotted spoon. Let them cool to room temparature on a wire rack and then refrigerate to cool completely. (They can be stored upto 3 days in the refrigerator)
Just before serving, sprinkle with the remaining castor sugar and caramelise the top with a blowtorch, moving it back and forth till a crust forms ( more the sugar, thicker will be the crust). Allow the sugar to cool and harden. Serve immediately.
Gosh!!1 Your pictures are simply superb plus the brulee is making me float upright now. Gorgeous recipe.
Thank you for stopping by:-)
You’ve given us a treat for the eyes as well as the stomach.The color of those trees is wonderful and your brulee looks delicious. Have a wonderful day. Blessings…Mary
Thank you Mary…very sweet of you:-)
What a great take on creme brulee, I love adding fruit for some yummy flavor!
Fruit offers endless possibilities. Thank you so much:-)
I love autumn Too! and love this delicious cream brulée!!
We have a lot in common. Thank you Gloria:-)
This Cream Brulee looks amazing! I’m giving it some PIN love!
Aww..that is so very sweet. Thank you Gloria:-)
Creme Brûlée is my favorite dessert EVER! I would sooooo love this. It looks gorgeous!
Mine too…I am for anything custard! Wish I could share it with you. Thank you Tia:-)
Looks soo amazing and gorgeous 🙂
Thank you Nilu:-)
Wow!!! I too am unfamiliar with Persimmons…I loved your version of custard. I think i would like to have my eggs like this 🙂
Ha ha me too..eggs are so good in dessert:-)
Gorgeous creme brulees!
Thank you Nik!
Gorgeous clicks of the colored leaves!I love these fall colors and how beautifully it changes the whole scenery!Your Creme Brûlée looks decadent 🙂 Never tried Persimmon before and I’m very intrigued!
Thank you Soni:-) Its worth a try…honey sweet flesh! Its going into all my desserts at the moment:-)
Awesome looking creme brûlées! I have had it with berries and other fruits, Persimmon will be a new addition to my recipe book!
Its a great fruit…wonder how I ignored it all this while! Thank you Deepti:-)
you have wonderful blog with great clicks and excellent writing skill…
thanks for visiting in space…
Thank you Bhawna:-)
Your persimmon creme brûlée is perfect my friend and I love the Autumn pics 😀
Cheers
CCU
Thank you Uru:-)
Autumn is my favourite season! Being in the Northern Hemi we are starting our spring season, so we think, but its still so cold and snowy. I like it though.
Your pictures make me yearn for fall and your persimmon creme brulee makes me yearn for a spoon and to have one in my hand right about now.
Thanks for stopping by my site and leaving such a wonderful comment. I look forward to following you.
Nazneen
Thank you Nazneen! So very sweet of you. I loved your blog and cant wait to have more of your posts:-)
Your pictures are beautiful. My In-Laws has a Persimmons tree in their garden. Can’t wait until it’s harvest time again to make these beautiful Persimmons Creme Brulee.
Wow…a Persimmon tree…how lovely! Thank you Amy:-)
All your pictures are stunning, scenery and food. Sounds like a lovely weekend and drive. Can,t wait to read about the nut farms. Persimmons are a favorite of mine, probably the first exotic fruit I discovered years ago. And creme brulée are a fave too, the combo sounds amazing.
Thank you Evelyne..very sweet of you:-)
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