Don't bother to attempt this dish

[GraydonCarter]

I was reading a blog and saw a photo of a torch, with this written above:

"When ready to glaze remove from fridge 30 minutes before torching. If you don't have a Cook's Torch, do not bother to try and make this dish."

I've never seen it put so very bluntly.

As a do-it-yourselfer around the house, I am often stymied by not having the right tool. I can probably learn how to replace my engine mounts, but without an engine hoist I shouldn't bother to attempt it.

I look at a recipe and see if I have the right ingredients, and one spice is too expensive an investment for a one-off attempt, I'll probably try a different dish.

Have you been stymied recently by not having the correct tool, and didn't want to make the investment? (I don't have a kitchen torch, but I do have a Matercool infrared thermometer gun, which I never use.)

[lostpastremembered]

The entreaty to use a kitchen torch was Marco Pierre White's and this was merely passed on with the recipe. It makes things easier. It is not meant as a kitchen nazi directive. As for pretension, I find the stories and history behind recipes interesting. It's all done in the spirit of sharing information, not snobbery. Making any recipe your own with your own tricks and substitutions is half the fun.

[GraydonCarter]

Yes, I find the history behind dishes very interesting as well, and enjoyed reading your blog.

However, I actually did give up on the idea of a brûlée until one of the posters above indicated I could use the broiler. Duh.

[lostpastremembered]

Thanks, Mr Carter (are you Vanity Fair Graydon Carter ?). Ironically, the post includes the Cambridge method with a school insignia branding iron supplying the design on the custard (like the skillet idea of the grill master). The trick with it is to get a sugar crust without over-cooking the meltingly soft custard which a broiler can do. The branding iron method is touchy and can leave black sugar beneath and a blow torch takes some skill to not make a mess. The kitchen torch gives a little more control. Finally, glad you liked the blog. You have no idea how hard it was to get to the bottom of the history ice cream for tomorrow's subject -- no blow torches involved!

[GraydonCarter]

Looking forward to your next entry. If you can read French maybe some day you'll investigate "fraises Imperator" please?

On IFC's surreal show Food Party (Episode 202 "PBJ Love") Thu Tran made a Krème Brûlée with a heart embossed in the center using a heart-shaped mask made from aluminum foil. Yes, she had a blow torch.

[lostpastremembered]

I'll look into it with my rather spotty French.... thanks for the challenge... the name rings a bell. As I checked into it... a strawberry pudding by Escoffier on the SS Imperator in 1913 -- enjoyed by Kaiser Wilhelm who called Escoffier the Emperor of Chefs. I'll see if I can find out what it is particularly. I do know it was common for a chef to name a dish after someone using something in their repertoire but making a small change. will let you know!

Goodness, do comments normally elicit this much controversy?

[GraydonCarter]

It is controversial only when someone cares deeply about something.

So, no, unless it is about food or dining.

[lostpastremembered]

I have found that the few people on the planet that are true visionaries/artists in any field have a very singular way of looking at the world...this is what makes them special and is why they change the way others see things but also can make them seem rigid or dictatorial. Marco Pierre White has some of that in him. For him the torch is the way to do the dish so he tells you so.

Where would food be today if someone like Alfred Portale (former jewelry designer) didn't see plates in 3 full dimensions and build up or Grant Achatz force nature into new states by cooking with cold and chemistry?

[nofunlatte]

If you think this is "controversial", stay away from the Not About Food board or you'll really get your knickers in a twist (though honestly, I haven't seen anything controversial on this thread.)

[Davwud]

"If you don't have a Cook's Torch, do not bother to try and make this dish."

That's not a kitchen nazi directive??

DT

[al b. darned]

A friend of mine, who is a Certified Executive Chef, used a BernzOmatic torch from the local True Value store, in his kitchen and got excellent results. Later that evening he used it to fix a leaking water line in the basement. Try *that* with your fancy-schmancy Cook's Torch.

[Kelli2006]

I would never use a fancy cooks torch for creme brulle or assorted dishes that need a direct flame. Give me a butane torch from the hardware store because I don't have the time or the patience to play with an overbred cigarette lighter.

[dcole]

Is it safe to keep a butane torch in an apartment? I don't own a torch of any kind, thinking it might not be the best thing to keep around an apartment, but I really don't know if that is true or not...
I've always stayed away from creme brulee, ect - but if it is safe to keep a torch, why not get one

[al b. darned]

No reason why not. A little common sense goes a long way here, like don't store it in the oven. : > () Be careful using it when lit. These things are built tough enough to bounce around inside the plumbers truck, so they really aren't that fragile. It wouldn't hurt to unscrew the head from the gas cylinder, but even that isn't really necessary.

[Davwud]

It's just a big lighter. Is it safe to keep a cigarette lighter in an apartment??

DT

[Kelli2006]

Id purchase a plumbers torch at the hardware store, and if you are worried about the safety, you could unscrew the brass torch assembly from the propane tank to be extra careful.

Ive been using a propane torch to make Creme Brulle since the mid 80s when I first saw it on the Great Chefs series.

[nofunlatte]

Thanks for the chuckle, al!

[Antilope]

The blog demands the use of a torch to create a caramelized sugar crust.

Cambridge Burnt Cream
http://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/

Steve Raichlen (on a recent episode of his BBQ show) used the bottom of a cast iron skillet, heated over hot coals, to achieve nearly the same thing.

Catalan Cream
http://www.primalgrill.org/recipe_det...

Sometimes there is more than one way to accomplish the task even if you are told you can't.

[dscheidt]

given the semi-literate manner it's written in, and the pretentious name checking, is it any surprise that it insists you need to use some status symbol?

There are a few things where a butane powered "chef's torch" can do things that the typical propane torch can't, like char the tips of meringue peaks, while leaving the rest of the meringue untouched. Creme broulé isn't one of them.

[Coogles]

Tools are usually invented to make tasks people are already performing easier, faster and sometimes safer. I don't think I've ever encountered a situation where the lack of a particular tool made a job impossible, there are always workarounds. Assuming I found the blog you're referring to, the recipe appears to be a pretty standard creme brulee (or Cambridge burnt creme as the author calls it). The recipe certainly predates cook's torches (which in my experience have proven to be almost worthless). When I make this dessert I usually go for my plumber's torch, but you can also caramelize the sugar topping under a very hot broiler. Or you go with the original method used for this dish, which is to heat up a piece of metal over the fire until it's piping hot and briefly place it on top of the sugar to melt and caramelize the top.

[Dee S]

I like the "If you don't have a Cook's Torch, do not bother to try and make this dish." statement. I'm sure the picture shows this cute, petite little torch that looks great with the stainless steel appliances and granite counters. Cost is probably $30 - $40 bucks.

What makes a Cook's Torch different/better than a standard propane torch? If I need to brulee something, I head to the garage and pull out the torch. It's not an arc welder or plasma torch so it produces the same flame as a "Cook's Torch". I'm not a presentation type of girl so that stuff doesn't bother me.

On the other hand, I'm a gadget girl so I get kitchen tools that are functional and are used for more than one thing. I'll go out and buy a special tool if I will use it again but will look for a decent deal first. I don't like to spend a fortune on something unless I will use it repeatedly. I'm also rather clever so if a special tool is needed, I'll try something else before going out and dropping cash on more equipment.

I will also try that recipe with one expensive ingredient if I really want to make the dish.

[Davwud]

A propane torch will get hotter than a chefs torch which uses butane.

But seriously, you can't stick it under the broiler??

DT

[Dee S]

I certainly can use the broiler or one of the many other ways to accomplish a brulee; was pointing out that a special version of a torch wasn't necessary.

[Davwud]

Not implying you weren't. I was agreeing, answering your question and making a statement.

DT