My Mr. is a genius in the kitchen. I know I’ve said as much before, but seriously folks, he figured out a way to make creme brulee dairy-free so a friend of ours who can’t tolerate dairy could have some. Mad cooking skills on that man of mine.
So without further adieu, I’ll hand the how-to over to him:
1 can (14 oz, +/-) coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp lemon juice
Preheat oven to 325. Boil 2 or 3 quarts of water.
Whisk egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, xanthan gum and vanilla
Scald (i.e. heat to almost, but not quite boiling) the coconut milk on the stove or or microwave. Slowly add the hot coconut milk to the egg mixture while whisking.
Place ramekins into a baking dish, Pour mixture into ramekins, pour hot water around ramekins until approximately halfway up the sides. Bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes until set.
I have found the best results occur when the ramekins aren’t too full. I prefer around 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch.
Alternately, the microwave may be used, though timing and power level will vary. Our 1000W microwave can do the job in about 20-25 minutes at 30% power. I haven’t found the time savings to be worth it.
Cool ramekins on the counter, then chill for at least two hours. Remove from fridge half an hour before serving. Sprinkle more sugar on top. Caramelize with a blow torch.
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I’ve had a lot of this creme brulee. The Mr. wanted to make sure he got the recipe just right so there were many, many test batches. I know, I know, my life is so hard, right? I’m honestly not sure I could tell that this wasn’t traditional creme brulee if you didn’t tell me. Honestly, even knowing it’s not dairy based I question if this isn’t all some elaborate hoax on the part of my husband…
Point being, it’s incredibly delicious, and if you know someone who is dairy intolerant, you should make them some. Pretty sure you’ll be their hero.
Especially Creative Broad 