Nutella Baking Week Finale: Nutella Crème Brulee

Alack and alas, all good things must come to an end. And as far as good things go, this week has to be absolutely one of the best. Like the chocolate chip cookie dough baking week started at the beginning of my summer holidays (can you believe I only have 1 week – ONE week!!!), this week has shown me that Nutella is really better than just in a toasted sandwich or on toast.

The variety with which one can eat this spread is astounding, and once more, we thank the Italians for introducing us to yet another fabulous food to tingle our tastebuds.
But fun fact: Pizza was originally from Greece, just a baked piece of stale bread with olive oil and herbs on it for the working class. When Queen Margherita of Italy came to Greece, she liked the taste so much that the original Margherita pizza was made for her and she took it back to Italy, who have forever increased the range since 😀

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Anyway, back to Nutella. I decided to end this week with the flamboyant and absolutely decadent custard dessert of crème brulee from the famous Nutella lover, Bell’Alimento. In French, that basically translates to ‘burnt cream’ but this tastes like anything but! I have had normal vanilla bean crème brulee in the past and it is delicious but by adding 1 heaping tbs (I increased the original from the recipe), into the mixture, it just picks it up a notch on the scale. A big notch 😛 – I am certain that if in its place you melted any flavour of chocolate into the scalding cream, you could make all sorts of wonderful combinations 😀

I, like many other bloggers and food addicts worldwide, always considered this French dessert to be difficult. Egg yolks, tempering and baking in a waterbath. It is like combining my fear of scrambled eggs with cracked cheesecakes!! But ever since I started making ice creams, my range of desserts has really opened up! Custards are now a perfect side to just about anything 🙂 – I did use a huge amount of vanilla essence in place of the bean (once when the cream was brought to the boil then a touch with the vanilla)!

This crème brulee has the perfect consistency, I am not joking. It is silk on a spoon which flows gently into the mouth. It is a beautiful rich brown from the Nutella and goes very well with the shards of crystal sugar which crack as your spoon enters for the first time.

117Crack.

Crack.

Crack.

Crack.

Yeah, that last crack really shows how I felt 🙂

Those cracks remind me, you will not believe though how stupid I was today 😦
You see, for my birthday this year last year, a very dear friend of mine got me a blowtorch. No, not an arson style big gun, but a small handheld kitchen one of appropriate size. I was thrilled and I loved it at first sight but nothing I have made so far required me to use it.

314Till today. I was ecstatic. Gorgeous blowtorch, we finally come together!

Everything was going great, the crème brulee was chilled and perfect consistency, the caster sugar was spread perfectly and then I got out the torch. Reading the instructions, opened the valve and there was no butane fuel included. NO FUEL INCLUDED!!!! I was angry and a couple of other frustrated expletives which do not belong on my blog. Next came the inevitable, oh-my-gosh-what-do-i-do-panic-panic-panic phase. Then I became rational and duh, looked it up on the internet. And everything came up with broiler (what I call a grill).

I turned it up to medium, preheated and put in the sugared brulee, crossing fingers and literally checking every 10 seconds. I will not never hesitate to use this method again because even though it didn’t come up with the most even and pretty results. It worked like a charm. A holy charm (thank you grill!) And I learnt a new skill 😀

215Here are some tips for broiler doing (but I won’t be because I hope I will actually have fuel!)

  • Preheat your grill/broiler to the lowest possible heat – it may take a little longer to caramelise but at least the heat will be more evenly distributed and unlike my, the outsides will not caramelise faster
  • Keep checking every 10-20 seconds before you always will run the risk of burning your sugar or worse (because you can scrape that off), curdling your hard-work-of-a custard!
  • My crème brulee was uneven after baking and a little hilly which can happen – I spread a thin layer of sugar meaning the baking was uneven – spread a thick layer if necessary but make sure it is all even and hides any bumps below 😉

Well that’s my silly story of the day to go with my beautiful Nutella crème brulee 🙂

I would like to thank you all for making this whole week such a blasting success. Your comments and encouragement was fabulous and I am glad some of you discovered new ways of indulging in Nutella which are simple but a little different to just spooning 😀

frefI promise you that though this week featured many beautiful recipes, I have a pretty big stash so you have not seen the last of nutella yet! I assure you whole heartedly 😉

Here we are: A round of applause for all the Nutella dishes which were featured

  1. Nutella Scrolls – A breakfast you’ll remember, these fresh out of the oven with homemade pastry are filled with chocolate-y delights and drip gooey Nutella
  2. Molten Nutella Chocolate Lava Cake – The most popular by far (for both this week and I think on my blog), this is delightful take on the lava cake makes it one of the most decadent desserts in history!
  3. 4 Ingredient Nutella Brownies – Indulgence never seemed so fast or so easy or so fudgy. You won’t ever need more ingredients again!
  4. Nutella Kheer (Rice Pudding) – Taking a dish from my beautiful heritage and making it Italian was half the fun. The other was actually eating it… 😉
  5. Strawberry Nutella Thumbprint Cookies w/ Homemade Strawberry Milk – The prettiest of dishes, I had to add a bit of decadent colouring into all those beautiful but only brown dishes! And who doesn’t adore berries?
  6. Nutella Ice Cream – A creamier, dreamier, more rich version of Nutella from the freezer. Made French Custard style, this is a dish which has you begging on your knees
  7. Nutella Crème Brulee – And now today’s final post, of slightly harsh appearance but with a taste of gold, we finish on a classic and traditional dessert enhanced by the wonderful taste that is Nutella!

Do you remember how I mentioned I wanted this week to be a tribute to the wonderful World Nutella Day celebrations since I could not be there for the actual week? Well, I contacted the wonderful Michelle from Bleeding Espresso, a founder of the day, and she very kindly put up a pre-celebration link on Facebook for people to view and get excited about for the upcoming holiday (well, for foodies worldwide anyway!). You too can check out the World Nutella fan page on facebook right here – leave a comment, ‘like’ it, share it with others and certainly join in with the festivities! 🙂

frefLike Liz of That Skinny Chick Can Bake put it – I hope you attain Nutella Nirvana!

So now what mes amis? You must be thinking, that’s it, ta-ta, bye bye and what not. Au contraire, my coming week, the last before the jail doors close on this life of mine, is busier than even this first. Australia Day, an anniversary and so many more surprises and treats, it will make your heads spin, I promise. I’m sweet and I’m here and I am not wasting time!!! 😀

Until tomorrow then I suppose. 😉
Once again, thank you for making this gorgeous week such a success!!!

29 Comments

  1. laurasmess says:

    Oh my gosh… I just followed the link over here from Erika’s guest post for quinoa muffins, and… argh!! If I wasn’t sitting down I reckon I’d be weak at the knees right now! Those molten Nutella recipes are to-die-for Uru! I love the look of the brownie especially. 4 ingredients? Going over there right now!! Thanks for the genius recipes, as always! You’re amazing!

    Like

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    • Choc Chip Uru says:

      Haha this Nutella week definitely was one of my favourite times on this blog 😀
      I am so glad you enjoyed the various treats 🙂
      I reallllly recommend them!
      And thank you, you are really really sweet! 🙂

      Cheers
      CCU

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  2. Pingback: Guest Post #9: Peanut Butter Quinoa Oat Muffins | Go Bake Yourself

  6. Tina@flourtrader says:

    No fuel, how frustrating that would have been. I have a industrial torch that is finicky, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.
    Anyhow you have had a very creative week and I really liked the theme. This last one is the most creative by far. I would have loved to have been there to sample all of these. Delicious.

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    • Choc Chip Uru says:

      Nice to know you too understand the problems with those fiery tempered things 😛
      I am very happy you enjoyed the entire week and especially this post – if I could hve sent you the dishes I would have 🙂
      If you make, I know you will enjoy them!

      Cheers
      Choc Chip Uru

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  7. Ann says:

    This looks terrific and you certainly had an amazing Nutella time! The creme brulee – I believe – is my favorite! I had the same issue with my torch – but once you have the fuel, they’re terrific!

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    • Choc Chip Uru says:

      Thank you so much – and yes, I am Nutella full (what a lie!) 😛
      I am glad you liked the creme brulee so much – and I am happy to hear I am not the only one with fuel issues 🙂

      Cheers
      Choc Chip Uru

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  9. Liz says:

    All look amazing, but I think I’ll try your creme brulee first!

    PS…I hope you try the polka dot cheesecake! That was my first try, and I think I’d like to try a white chocolate version 🙂

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    • Choc Chip Uru says:

      Thanks 😀 – You will melt into the brulee I assure you
      A white chocolate version of your cheesecake sounds delish! I was personally thinking of making it a caramel chocolate version when I can make it!

      Cheers
      Choc Chip Uru

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  10. Greg says:

    My family is addicted to Nutella, I’m going to have to block your site. Not really because then I can’t comeback for that Nutella Brûlée recipe. Have you submitted these recipes to Bella Nutella, http://bellanutella.com/? If you haven’t you should. I submitted a recipe a couple of months ago and I still get hits from it.

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    • Choc Chip Uru says:

      Haha thank you so much – brulee = much recommended! And no one should eber block Nutella 😛
      As for the tip thanks! I could use all the publicity I can get!
      Thanks for stopping by 😀

      Cheers
      Choc Chip Uru

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    • Choc Chip Uru says:

      Thank you so much – and I am sure you are going have a wonderful contribution to the auspicious day 😛
      I’ll go check it out now!
      But then I am getting ready for Australia Day!!

      Cheers
      Choc Chip Uru

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  14. Nava Krishnan says:

    Thank you for the tips on making a perfect creme brulee because I have failed the few times I tried making it. I also don’t have a torch, so I just spread a layer of sugar before baking. Though it does not give the same effects, it does add a crunch to the brulee.

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  15. Thiveya says:

    what a breathtaking nutella week … every recipe was amazing =)
    haha and sorry for not giving you fuel *my bad*
    but good to see the creme-broulee still came out amazing !

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