Coffee creme brulee

Flipping my table calendar over and welcoming November I assumed it would be more chilly and I would have to dust our woolies but with the global warming phenomenon the weather these days are becoming more and more un predictable and it is hard to believe that a wind breaker is adequate now in the month of November. Last year same time when we had visited Qingdao to get some first hand information before moving in for a long haul, I simply loved the snow on the beach and it was awesome to see the beautiful pagodas covered with a beautiful layer of white veil surrounded by the fern trees. I hope to see the scenery again. Snowing is not new to me but snow covered beaches was a first.

Seeing off my son at the bus stop, I thought of walking a few rounds of the campus we live and grab some fresh vegetables and fruits from the wet market that is just a stones throw distance. It is only a matter of chance & good fortune if u don’t get duped but I simply love the vibrant colors that are often missing at the supermarket display. Luckily I have a got hang of the numbers in Chinese and so it becomes little bit easy haggling with them over the price but it is very hard to win.

The province we are residing is the bread basket of the country & produces the most naturally grown organic vegetables and fruits. Fruits here are simple luscious and insanely sweet. I was never a fruit fan until coming here and luckily my son does have a penchant for nature’s best gift. I remember once we were traveling to Sikkim and he survived the whole week eating only fruits and drinking milk. The spicy taste of the restaurant food was still unacceptable to him. So we make it a point to carry fruits whenever we travel.

After our family visiting us left, I was leaning to a healthier version of cooking, but with our intense love for sweet, I thought of making something sinful and with Meeta’s event of monthly mingle featuring coffee and tea was the perfect excuse to indulge in the aromatic flavors that linger on with coffee and so with the most opportune moment. I made a change to vanilla creamy brulee and added the diluted Nestle instant coffee powder. It was delectable and we thoroughly enjoyed our helpings.

Here goes the recipe
Serves 2

ingredients
½ cup cream
2 to3 tablespoon sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
¼ teaspoon instant coffee powder diluted with 2 teaspoon of water.

Method
Heat the cream in a sauce pan and care should be taken not to boil the cream as it will curdle. Whisk the yolk and sugar. Remove the cream from heat and blend it to the egg mixture. Mix well and add cinnamon and coffee.

Heat the sauce pan and keep stirring on low fire for 5 mintues until the mixture thickens.

Preheat the oven to 180’c. In a big baking dish pour water and put the ramekins filled with above mixture. Bake it for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove and let it cool down. It may be a little wobbly in the centre. Cool it the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.

Note the coffee mix might be less intense so adjust according to your taste.

Remove and sprinkle ground coffee and cinnamon powder.

Ah yes! Like somebody said eat and drink without any guilt whatever you like but just make sure you never skip on your exercises- My best quote for the day.

This is second contribution to Monthly Mingle hosted by Meeta of what's for honey lunch

This article was featured in Reuters.