Monday, October 9, 2017

Maple Creme Brûlée and October's Give-Away Apron

First, let me wish all my friends in Canada...Happy Thanksgiving!  A day dedicated to family and the harvest, the Canadian Thanksgiving has been celebrated since 1879 when Parliament passed a law designating it as a national holiday occurring on the second Monday in October.

There are many references of giving thanks by settlers to this region called New France, dating back to 1578, but sporadic.  Interestingly, after The American Revolution, loyal refugees to the Crown of England took with them the celebration foods that they had come to know--turkey, squash, and pumpkin to Canada, in addition to foods that had become a tradition there. The theme of Canada's Thanksgiving has changed each year, focusing on an important event they are thankful for; which I find nice.

So, in honor of my friends to the North, I made Maple Creme Brûlée.


One of my favorite desserts and perfect with it's creamy maple flavoring after you break through the crunchy sugar topping.  Very easy to make and would be a lovely ending to a family celebration.

Maple Creme Brûlée
2 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup Maple Syrup (I used Grade A)
1 tsp. Maple Extract

Sugar in the Raw

Preheat oven to 325F-degrees.

In a medium saucepan, heat the heavy cream just until bubbles appear around the edges...don't boil!

In a large bowl, preferably with a spout, whisk the egg yolks, maple syrup, and maple extract together.  Slowly add a bit of the heavy cream, whisking after each addition.  (This is called tempering.)
Place 6 ramekins in a casserole dish.
Once all the cream mixture has been incorporated into the egg yolk mixture, pour through a fine sieve into the ramekins.  This catches any "eggy bits" that might have occurred!
Place casserole dish in the preheated oven and pour boiling water around the ramekins, coming about half-way up the sides.

Bake 40-45 minutes.  The centers should be a bit jiggly, but set.  Don't be concerned that the tops may have browned a bit; that's due to the maple sugar.
Remove ramekins from the water bath and allow to cool on a rack until room temperature.  Place in the refrigerator for two hours.

When you're ready to serve dessert, heat your broiler and place the ramekins on a sheet pan. Sprinkle tops with Sugar in the Raw and set pan under the broiler.  If you own a Mini Torch, which I prefer to do, heat the individual ramekins after you've sprinkled the sugar on top.

Serve with fresh berries or alone as I served these.  My hubby said he could have licked the bowl clean it was that good! Enjoy!

October's Give-Away Apron has special meaning for me with the Sunflowers.  Yesterday, would have been our daughter,'s 45th birthday--a day that is just as hard for me as her passing.  She loved sunflowers and collected several prints by Van Gogh to frame and hang on her walls.  She also had me sew her a sunflower dress when she was a senior in high school--I still have that dress.

If you would like to win this apron...simply comment on the posts this month and this could be yours.  Good Luck!

18 comments:

  1. o I totally love the use maple syrup here in this classic dessert. It must be very yummy, Susan. Beautiful apron!

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  2. This is probably the most perfect sweet treat ever invented....just heavenly....and....a sweet apron to make it all perfect!

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  3. This looks amazingly tempting --my Mother just loved Maple "anything"--she would have eaten this with gusto! thanks for the recipe---hugs, Julierose (attired in your apron and stirring in my kitchen lol)

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  4. Perfect dessert flavor for this time of year and I love that kitchen themed fabric in the apron.

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  5. Thanks for your thoughtful comments on our Thanksgiving Day. I love anything maple flavoured and the sunflowers are a perfect bit of sunshine as we prepare for our cold months ahead!

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    1. I have a lot of friends in Canada and always remember this day--it's like celebrating Thanksgiving twice for us!!

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  6. Cool colors for October’s apron. Love to you this time of year... 💕

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    1. I just wish the temperatures were cooler! We've been in the 90s again, ugh!!

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  7. A difficult day for you. My mom passed on Nov 17th, and I always remember that day too.

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    1. Yes, it's tough and doesn't seem to get any easier as time goes by, which I'm sure you can relate to. (My Mom passed away on November 4th.)

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  8. The recipe sounds delicious! Maple is perfect flavor this time of year.

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  9. It's very hard missing those we've lost. Fall is especially hard for me too. Love this pretty apron...but I have one of yours so I hope someone 'new' gets this special one. Thanks for always thinking of all of us and sharing your love. Sweet hugs, Diane

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  10. I am arriving very late to leave comments from last week's blog party. I have been so busy but I was thrilled to see you posted here and you always have such wonderful recipes. We have a friend who loves Creme Brulee so I bought him the recipe book and dishes (and myself) and I doubt he ever made it but waits to eat it at restaurants. I think your's looks wonderful!

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  11. Just cooked some apples into applesauce and have some pears to use. This recipe will fit nicely. Thanks for a taste of fall.

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  12. What a beautiful apron in honor of your beloved daughter's favorite flower, Susan. How very wonderful to have the dress that you made her in high school.
    I love creme brulee, but have never made a maple flavored one. I haven't used Sugar in the Raw, either, as the topping. Do you find that it works better? I do have the torch!

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  13. Perfect dessert flavor for this time of year and I love that kitchen themed fabric in the apron.

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