Oui, Oui, Je Speak Franglais
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How to Make Crème Brûlée with Mon Petit Four

photo via Mon Petit Four

Crème brûlée, which literally means burnt cream, is a dessert of custard–topped with caramelized sugar. My first time ever ordering this dessert was about 15 years. It was at a bistro in le quartier de la Bastille and ever since then, Oui, Oui — you guessed it, crème brûlée is usually my first choice when ordering dessert in a resto. I mean , pourquoi pas? This creamy custard leaves me craving for more.

Thanks to Mon Petit Four’s, Beeta Hashempour, you too can recreate this decadent recette for yourself or guests. Bon app!

Crème Brûlée

Yield: 5 Prep Time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Creamy vanilla custard baked until set, then topped with a caramelized sugar topping. 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 6 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 4 egg yolks
  • turbinado sugar, or any kind of coarse sugar granules, for the top

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 320°F. Bring a kettle full of water to a boil. Meanwhile, In a medium saucepan, warm the cream just until it’s beginning to simmer along the edges of the pan. Don’t let the cream boil! Stir in the vanilla bean paste once the cream is warm. Turn the heat off.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the granulated sugar together until thick and pale. Stream in 1/4 cup of the hot cream mixture, whisking vigorously as you do. Continue to stream in another 1/4 cup, again whisking the entire time. Pour in the rest of the hot cream and whisk until everything is blended together.
  3. Use a ladle to distribute the batter among 5 (6 oz.) ramekins. Place the ramekins in a large casserole dish and place the dish in the oven. Use the kettle spout to pour the hot water into the casserole dish, pouring enough water so that the water almost reaches the top of the ramekins. Be careful not to get any water into the ramekins.
  4. Bake the custard for 1 hour just until the centers are slightly wobbly. If needed, after 1 hour, raise the heat to 350°F and bake for another 10 minutes until you’ve achieved the desired doneness. Remove the ramekins from the casserole dish and let them cool to room temperature. Wrap the ramekins tightly in plastic wrap and freeze.
  5. To brulee, sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the turbinado sugar over each frozen creme brulee. Set the ramekins on a baking sheet under the oven broiler (500°F) for about 1 minute, constantly checking it and rotating the pan so that all of them are evenly bruleed. Let the burnt sugar topping set for a few minutes before serving. 

Notes

If you decide to make this recipe for 2 people, divide the recipe in half and use 8 oz. ramekins.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5

Serving Size:

5 Servings
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 423

And if it so happens that you need help pronouncing crème brûlée, we’ve got you covered!

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Culture

Franglais Stories: La fête des pères edition

Être parent c’est avoir la chance de revivre une enfance et partager ses moments d’émerveillement. – Arben Gasi

A piece of Paris in Jersey but where exactly you might ask?? In Montclair of course! Le French Dad Boulangerie & Café situated on Church Street, is owned by a ‘French Dad,” Arben Gasi.

Pictured: Arben Gasi, owner and baker at Le French Dad Boulangerie & Café

As many dads around the world celebrate La fête des Pères, aujourd’hui, we wanted to get insight from Monsieur Gasi, who has lived in three different countries of what it means to be ‘ un papa,’ baker and businessman.

O.O.J.S.F: What is your role as a dad?

A.G: My role as a dad is to accompany our children through their education and various activities such as sports as well as cooking. 

O.O.J.S.F: Where did you grow up?

I was born in Sarajevo and moved to France at age 12. In France, I lived in Albertville, Montauban and spent my last few years studying in Toulouse.  


O.O.J.S.F: What is your educational/professional background?

A.G: I have a degree in mechanical engineering but ended up being a baker/owner of a French bakery in Montclair, NJ called Le French Dad. 

O.O.J.S.F: Where did you grow up?

I was born in Sarajevo and moved to France at age 12. In France, I lived in Albertville, Montauban and spent my last few years studying in Toulouse.  

O.O.J.S.F: What languages do you speak?

A.G: I speak serbo-croatian, French and English. 

 O.O.J.S.F: As a dad, are you teaching your kids to be bilingual, if so, how?

A.G: Yes, my wife is French so we speak French at home. We also try to read to them in French and watch cartoons or movies in French as well. 

photo: café and macarons


O.O.J.S.F: How do you manage being a dad and a businessman?

A.G: It is very difficult to manage both and sometimes the latter takes over to my biggest regret. The moments we spend together are very very precious and we make sure to make most of it. 

O.O.J.S.F: What’s your daily schedule like as the owner and head baker of Le French Dad?

A.G: I wake up around 2-3am everyday and head over to the bakery for my first coffee of the day. Depending on the day, I make bread, pastries or macarons, look for any special orders we might have for instance. When the bakery opens at 8am, I double check that we have everything ready for the day. Then it’s usually continuing on to producing, placing orders, making schedules for the week. I am usually out by 3pm at the latest to pick up our children from school. 


O.O.J.S.F: How is French parenting different from the American way of parenting?

A.G: I believe French parenting is more straightforward  and teaches children boundaries in all aspects. Not only educationally but culinary as well. Our children are a little more adventurous when it comes to food than their American friends. 


O.O.J.S.F: What’s your favorite thing to do with your kids?

A.G: I love playing soccer with them and be outside. We usually go to the park nearby on our scooters or bikes. We also have a movie night where we make our own pizza and watch a movie all together. We try to do this every Friday or Saturday. 


O.O.J.S.F: What qualities do you instill in your kids as they grow? 

A.G: We’d like them to be kind and respectful but also honest. 

 O.O.J.S.F: As a baker, what pastry or baguette best describe you? And Why?

A.G: It would be a pain de campagne, or country loaf. Hearty, whole grain, rugged but nourishing. 

photo: pain de campagne

O.O.J.S.F: What French traditions do you still uphold in your family?

A.G: It is mainly food/dinner related as we try to instill the love of home made food. That means no eating between meals, have a “goûter” and avoid as much as possible sweets and candy. 

O.O.J.S.F: What makes French pastries and baguettes different from others?

A.G: They are unique and always trying to be balanced nutritionally. Moderation is key. 

O.O.J.S.F: What’s your daily schedule like as the owner and head baker of Le French Dad?

A.G: I wake up around 2-3am everyday and head over to the bakery for my first coffee of the day. Depending on the day, I make bread, pastries or macarons, look for any special orders we might have for instance. When the bakery opens at 8am, I double check that we have everything ready for the day. Then it’s usually continuing on to producing, placing orders, making schedules for the week. I am usually out by 3pm at the latest to pick up our children from school. 

So the next time you want to relive moments of Paris… remember you can …in Montclair at Le French Dad Boulangerie & Café.

10 Church St.

Montclair, NJ 07042

www.lefrenchdad.com

https://www.instagram.com/lefrenchdadboulangerie/

https://www.facebook.com/lefrenchdadboulangerie/

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