In making the Flan (pictured above), I started by caramelizing sugar. I cooked the sugar with some water until it turned an amber color. Then I put the caramel in the bottom of my ramekins. Next I made the custard for the flan. First I boiled milk with a cinnamon stick and half a vanilla bean. While that was heating up, I whisked eggs, egg yolks, brown sugar, molasses, and amaretto together. I tempered the egg mixture with some of the hot milk, then I incorporated the rest of the milk into the egg mixture. After straining the custard, I filled my ramekins, put them in a half hotel pan with a water bath, and put them in the oven to bake. My flan turned out pretty well. The custard had a creamy consistency. I've never had flan before, and I didn't really like the way it tasted.
Next I made the creme brulee. It is made using pretty much the same method as the flan. First, I put heavy cream and half a vanilla bean on the stove to boil. While that was heating, I mixed egg yolks and sugar. Once my cream started to boil, I added some of it to the egg mixture to temper it. Then I incorporated all of the milk into the egg mixture. I strained the custard, and then put it into ramekins. Then I baked the creme brulee in a water bath. After they came out of the oven, I put them in the blast chiller to cool them down and let them firm up a little bit. Normally, you're supposed to let creme brulee chill for at least 4 hours, but we didn't have that much time. They probably only got to chill for an hour, maybe less. When it was time for grading, I took them out the blast chiller, sprinkled some sugar on top and torched the sugar. I was pretty used to the torching part of it. At Courtright's, when I work the garde manger/dessert station, I torch a lot of creme brulees! My creme brulees turned out well, unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of them. I guess we'll all just have to imagine how beautiful they were! :-P
Next we made Floating Islands and Creme Anglaise. I think you're going to get bored with this blog I explain the process of the creme anglaise. It is the same as the creme brulee and the flan (except this used half and half instead of milk or heavy cream). Boil the half and half with vanilla bean, mix egg yolks and sugar, temper egg mixture, combine half and half with egg mixture. After the custard is combined, you cook it on the stove until it is nappe (the consistency that it will coat the back of a spoon). It is different from the other two desserts, because you don't bake creme anglaise, it is a dessert sauce. The floating islands, and poached meringues. I took some of the egg whites I had left over and mixed them with some sugar until they had stiff peaks. While the half and half and vanilla bean were simmering, I put some of the meringue in it and poached it. Then I plated my floating islands with the creme anglaise (pictured above).
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