Key Lime Creme Brulee
I might lose some readers / followers / lovers ? ((weird smiley face?)) on this recipe. But I don’t curr.
I tried this out as a FAIL SAFE for you. Get in, losers. We’re using a *boxed* crème brulee mix. And my little additions rocked the hell out of it.
Key Lime ANYTHING automatically makes me think of summer. I love the tart, welcome & tasty delight that Key Lime gives off every time I eat it! I wholeheartedly believe that Key Lime is the flag waving for summer!
And this past Saturday, July 29th was the summer-est damn summer day we’ve had. The temp was 96, no joke. It was supposed to be a miserable day so I wanted a cool dessert to literally keep us cool. And then adding that extra fluffy cloud of whipped cream?! Ain’t nothin better! Except maybe with Key Lime Juice added in to every single layer……
being honest.
Ok, Ok, OKAAAY so I felt the teensiest bit guilty that I wasn’t making this entire damn thing from scratch *clutch my pearls* but I literally had 2 options. Go ape-shit over trying to make crème brulee from absolute scratch ((which seems difficult as shit, btw)) or cross my fingers, add a few tasty ingredients to an already-delicious box mix and hope that it turns out for the best.
Clearly, I chose the latter. Get over it.
whip it good.
But I did try to redeem myself by making the whipped cream from scratch! GOTTA earn some points there, amirite?! I also jazzed that up with some Key Lime Juice as well – & let me tell ya. She tasted like a real zinger!
I wanted the whipped cream to MIMIC, not MIRROR my crème brulee. I didn’t want to over-do the flavor of Key Lime but I wanted it to be present – which is actually tough to do. The goal here was to have the Key Lime Crème Brulee be the star of the show and hold ALL the flavors of both Crème Brulee AND Key Lime – while having a delicate touch of extra Key Lime in the whipped cream topping. Trust me, no easy feat.
As much as I love Key Lime anything & everything, I know that’s not the case with everyone else. Which I fine, I guess. But again, this isn’t ALL about me. So let’s not go overboard, shall we?
So the real-real truth,I honestly was straight up scared to attempt a 100% scratch Crème Brulee recipe. I’ve NEVER attempted it & I was making this for a beach-themed tea party I was hosting ((cute AF, right?)) so I wanted to be sure it would turn out.
Being even more honest, the more I thought about it, then I was afraid that even my BOXED MIX would curdle from the citrus from the Key Lime Juice. I was panicking hard on the inside so I read a few recipes that clearly stated to gently heat the milks / creams together thoroughly BEFORE adding the Key Lime Juice so it wasn’t a total shock to the system. I was like, yea sure ok that makes sense. So, I proceeded with caution.
Without adding anymore negative & jumbled BS to my storyline, I’m guessing you’re ready to just see this for yourself! Let’s Get To It!
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS (for crème brulee)
• 1 Crème Brulee box mix – Dr. Oetker Rezept brand
• 1 cup milk (I used 2%)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 TSP pure vanilla extract
• 3 TBS Key Lime Juice
• Zest of 1 lime
• Sugar in the Raw (for topping)
INGREDIENTS (for whipped cream)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled in the freezer for 15 minutes
• 1 TSP pure vanilla extract
• 3 TBS powdered sugar
• 1 TBS Key Lime Juice
Instructions, 1
Crème Brulee is an “easy” dessert.
It is “easy” in the sense that you can make it ahead, allow it to chill, and it actually tastes better after a day or two of chilling in the fridge – the flavors intensify, and the custard becomes OH SO thick & pudding-perfection.
So keep that in mind for when you are choosing to serve this delicacy.
I made my Key Lime Crème Brulee a full 2 days in advance & I’m very glad that I did because I wasn’t stressed to serve it or anything that can come with a nice dessert.
The point of crème brulee is to be chilled itself with the sugar on top being caramelized & burned to the point of making a beautiful shell to crack thru – elegant all the way!
Measure out all your ingredients listed on the box & follow the directions listed on the box.
I allowed my milks & vanilla extract to combine & slightly heat thru before adding my zest & Key Lime Juice. Simply whisk & add in the ingredients over a low flame.
You want the custard to SLOWLY and SLIGHTLY bubble. This cooking process is gentle – you don’t want a rolling boil. That’s how you scald milk which results in tasting & smelling like shit – not a dessert icon.
The whole process takes less than 10 minutes. I like to have my custard cups at the ready, sitting on a cookie sheet, so I can quickly whisk together my ingredients & then easily pour them directly in.
After you have cooked, whisked & poured your Key Lime Crème Brulee custard into your cups, allow them to cool on the countertop for at least 1 hour.
If you skip this step, your custard will “shock” and become watery in the fridge – which is gross & a huge “no-no.”
Instructions, 2
Once your custards have cooled down, individually cover each one tightly with plastic wrap.
Store in the fridge to chill for AT LEAST 6 hours and up to a maximum of 3 days.
Is today the day? Are you serving these Key Lime Crème Brulee babies soon?
Well let’s make our Key Lime Whipped Cream!!!
Chill your Heavy Whipping Cream & Whisk attachment in the freezer for 15 minutes. This step ensures the lightest, fluffiest whipped cream ever. It is worth the extra 15 minutes! ((If you’re a super psycho like me & have room in your freezer, feel free to chill your mixing bowl as well!))
Measure out your heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar & vanilla extract – whip for 1 minute on setting 4.
Your liquid should have a LITTLE body after 1 minute.
Next, pour in your Key Lime Juice & whip for 1 more minute on setting 6.
Finally, scrape the sides of the bowl & whip for another 1-2 minutes on setting 8.
VOILA! You have just made homemade whipped cream! Again, its not that its difficult – its just an appreciated art!
You don’t want to over-whip your whipped cream because it will become dense & literally turn to butter – EL OH EL. We don’t want that! So just keep an eye on your whipped cream & adjust as necessary. It isn’t so much the speed as much as the time spent whipping – got it?
Store in a Tupperware for up to 3 days.
When you are ready to serve your Key Lime Crème Brulee, take them out of the fridge & sprinkle a generous amount of Sugar in the Raw overtop.
Using a blowtorch, YES, one of those – gently sweep back & forth with the flame to torch the entire top of your sugar-covered custards. The sugar will blister & turn dark-brown. This is what we want! Have no fear! But don’t overdo it – it has to be said, but if you start smelling BURNT smells, then you’re an idiot and your sugar will also TASTE burnt. So, watch it!
Scoop a generous helping of Key Lime Whipped cream & position over the side / corner of your Key Lime Crème Brulee as to not disturb the sugar-shell that everyone desperately craves with this dessert.
Serve immediately!
Gently tap the back of your spoon over your Key Lime Crème Brulee – you should hear the tell-tale cracking sound – GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT. It’s like a rite of passage. Everyone who ever orders Crème Brulee at a restaurant always does the “tappy tap” – consider yourself lucky if it’s done in your presence.
the most decadent.
Crème Brulee resonates deeply with me because I have loved it since I was a child. Much like my love for brunch, my parents had / still have a love for decadent desserts. I’m not a fan of flourless chocolate tortes or chocolate souffles, but Crème Brulee? SIGN ME UP.
I looked it up just to be sure, but Crème Brulee was first popular in the UK and then made its way over to America where it was served in high-end restaurants in the 80s and 90s – makes sense because I’m an ’87 baby and my parents loved taking us to fancy restaurants as children (cringe & kill me now) but EH, in hindsight, I think it made me appreciate the finer things & taught me HELLA good manners from a young age!
As you probably know by now after following me for *gasp* almost 2 years !!! – I’m not a huge dessert person. Now that I’m older, I very much appreciate after-dinner drinks and will almost always take that over a dessert course.
Crème Brulee is one of those desserts that I can’t pass up when I see it on the menu. Luckily my husband usually feels the same way. We will SHARE an entrée just so we can guarantee we won’t be too full to enjoy Crème Brulee at the end. It’s a science AND an art.
He was skeptical about my addition of Key Lime Juice even though he is also a Key Lime lover. I think he thought the flavors would be too competing – something I didn’t exactly think about, but luckily my instincts seemed to work out!
Summer is almost coming to a close – give this seasonal taste a try & see what people think! I personally got rave reviews, so go forth & let the compliments rain down *wink*
Thanks for stopping by!
I appreciate you stopping by! If you loved it, I’d love to hear from you.
If you hated it, then same.
Have a great day & look for my next entry!
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