Custards
2⅓ cups heavy whipping cream
⅓ cup half and half
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 5-inch piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise
8 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar
9 teaspoons raw sugar
COMPOTE: Combine apple juice, figs, prunes, and orange peel in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until figs and prunes are soft, about 10 minutes. Cool compote slightly. Transfer to small bowl.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
CUSTARDS: Preheat oven to 325°F. Arrange six ¾-cup ramekins or custard cups in 13×9×2-inch metal baking pan. Combine cream, half and half, and pepper in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring cream mixture to simmer over medium heat. Cover; set aside 10 minutes to steep. Discard vanilla bean. Whisk egg yolks and ½ cup sugar in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in warm cream mixture.
Divide custard among ramekins. Add enough hot water to baking pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake custards until set in center, about 35 minutes. Remove custards from water; refrigerate uncovered until cold.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.
Sprinkle 1½ teaspoons raw sugar over top of each custard. Using kitchen torch, melt sugar until deep amber color. (Alternatively, use broiler. Place ramekins on rimmed baking sheet. Broil until sugar melts and is deep amber color, turning baking sheet for even browning and watching closely to avoid burning, about 3 minutes.) Refrigerate custards uncovered until topping hardens, at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours before serving.
Serve custards with fig and prune compote.
Cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, and cloves give this crème brûlée a spicy kick. Think of it as a crustless pumpkin pie with a crunchy burnt-sugar topping. Raw sugar is available at most supermarkets and at natural foods stores, but golden brown sugar works well, too. Makes 8
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
½ cup sugar
½ cup (packed) golden brown sugar
5 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
3 cups heavy whipping cream
8 tablespoons raw sugar or golden brown sugar
Preheat oven to 325°F. Whisk pumpkin, sugar, and brown sugar in large bowl. Whisk in egg yolks and vanilla, then cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, cloves, and salt. Bring cream just to boil in medium saucepan. Gradually whisk hot cream into pumpkin mixture.
Divide mixture among eight 5-inch-diameter, 1-inch-deep ramekins. Divide ramekins between 2 large roasting pans. Add enough hot water to roasting pans to come halfway up sides of ramekins.
Bake until custards are just set in center, about 35 minutes. Remove custards from water. Cool slightly. Refrigerate custards uncovered until cold.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon raw sugar over pumpkin custard in each ramekin. Using kitchen torch, melt sugar until deep amber color. (Alternatively, use broiler. Place ramekins on rimmed baking sheet. Press 1 tablespoon brown sugar—not raw sugar—through sieve over each custard and broil until sugar melts and is deep amber color, turning baking sheet for even browning and watching closely to avoid burning, about 3 minutes.) Refrigerate custards until topping hardens, at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour.
The Secret of Smooth CustardsTo ensure smooth custards that don’t curdle or overcook, our recipes often recommend baking them in a water bath, a gentle method of baking the delicate custards. Here’s the easiest and safest way to do it: First, place the soufflé dishes in a roasting pan with about 2-inch-high sides. Pull out the oven rack partway—it should still be stable and level—and place the pan on the rack. Next, fill the pan with enough hot water from a tea kettle or spouted cup to reach halfway up the sides of the soufflé dishes. Being careful not to slosh water into the custards, slide the rack back into the oven and bake the custards. Keep an eye on the water: If it starts to bubble, the custards may overcook and become tough; so throw some ice cubes into the water to cool it down a bit. Custards are done when the edges are set but the centers still tremble slightly. Bake the custards any longer and they’ll be too firm when cold—not nice and creamy. Remove the pan from the oven. Slide a spatula under each dish; hold sides with tongs and lift the dish from the water.
Dried tart cherries make a nice contrast to sweet vanilla- and cinnamon-scented rice. This pudding is equally good served warm or cold. But if you want to serve it cold, you’ll have to plan ahead so that it has time to chill completely. 6 servings
4 cups plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
½ cup medium-grain white rice
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons cornstarch
3 large eggs
½ cup dried tart cherries or cranberries
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Combine 4 cups milk, rice, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until rice is very tender, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.
Whisk cornstarch and remaining 1 tablespoon milk in large bowl to blend. Add eggs; whisk to blend. Whisk in hot rice mixture. Return to same saucepan. Add cherries; stir over low heat just until mixture comes to boil. Mix in vanilla and lemon juice. Serve warm or pour pudding into buttered medium bowl. Press plastic wrap onto surface. Refrigerate until cold, at least 8 hours or overnight. Spoon pudding into bowls and serve.
Some rice puddings rely on an egg-based custard for their thick, creamy consistency. This one doesn’t need it. Instead, the rice is cooked very slowly in a lot of milk (5 cups for just 1 cup of rice) and thickens gradually like a risotto. 4 servings
5 cups (or more) whole milk, divided
1 cup short-grain or medium-grain white rice
½ cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup cream Sherry
½ cup (packed) golden brown sugar, plus additional for topping
Combine 5 cups milk, rice, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean, and salt in heavy large saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and cook until rice is tender and pudding is thick, stirring frequently, about 50 minutes. Add Sherry and ½ cup brown sugar and stir until blended and sugar dissolves.
Thin with more milk by ¼ cupfuls if pudding is too thick. Discard cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean. Spoon pudding into bowls. Press additional brown sugar through sieve over puddings and serve, or cover and chill up to 1 day and top with additional brown sugar before serving.Ingredient Tip: The Right SherrySherry (a Spanish fortified wine) can run the gamut from very dry to super-sweet. The type called for in this recipe—cream Sherry—is on the sweet side. You’ll also see it called oloroso or golden Sherry. It’s darker in color and fuller in flavor than the drier varieties Amontillado would be a fine second choice; it’s somewhat sweet and rather nutty. Don’t use fino or manzanilla Sherries—they’re much too dry.