Title: Larry Hunter's Ginger Chile Creme Brulee
Categories: Spice Dessert
Yield: 1 Servings

4		Eggs +
2		Yolks
2	pt	(1 litre) cream
1	c	Sugar
3	tb	Orange liquer (e.g. triple
		Sec)
4	tb	Finely diced ginger root
4		Finely diced serrano chiles
2		Dried habaneros, stemmed,
		Seeded and powdered
		Granulated sugar (for the
		Tops)

Serves 8; prep time 45-50 minutes + 2 hours for chilling.

In the bowl of a double boiler, beat the eggs and sugar, and stir in the cream, liquer, ginger, and both chiles. Mix well. Place the double boiler over (NOT IN) water that is *barely simmering*. Stir constantly for 30-45 minutes, until the mixture has thickened some. Too high heat or a failure to stir constantly will get you scrambled eggs, not creme brulee...

When the mixture has thickened, strain it to remove the chunks of ginger and chile (this is optional, but I think it makes for a better creme brulee), and pour into 8 pyrex or ceramic serving cups. Chill for at least two hours, or overnight.

Shortly before serving, remove from the refrigerator and cover the top of each serving dish with an 1/8" (3mm) layer of sugar, all the way to the edges of the dish. Hit the top of each with a blowtorch until the sugar completely carmelizes. (Blowtorches are cheap, and handy to have for skinning chiles as well, so buy one. If you must, you can put the sugared creme brulees 1" under a hot broiler to carmelize the sugar.) Let cool until the dishes can be handled, and serve.

hunter@work.nlm.nih.gov (Larry Hunter) From the Chile-Heads Recipe Collection URL: http://chile.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu:8000/www/recipe.html

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