Creme Brulee

 I used Alton's recipe. Putting it here so I remember some tips for next year:

1 quart heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

6 egg yolks

(I reserve 4 of the egg whites and also make Mary Berry's Pavlova...Both of these desserts are EASY crowd pleasers for my solstice party)

1. Place the cream and vanilla into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. While you are waiting:
2. Fill water kettle all the way and get it boiling. Preheat oven to 325
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks (with a wisk and arm muscle) until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. (This fills 8 of my ramekins). 
4. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. 
5. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Peppermint Chocolate Cookies

 

This is a bit of an experimental cookie, and it turned out really good! 

Cream:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening 

I cup white sugar 

1 cup brown sugar 

Add:

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

In separate bowl mix, then add:

2 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp powder

1 tsp soda

1/2 salt

6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa 

Add:

half a bag of chocolate chips

Half a bag of mint chips (winco has guittard green mint chips!)

Half a cup or so of crushed candy cane (also found at winco bins) I sprinkled some on the top before baking

350 degrees, 12ish minutes  

Berry Pavlova

This recipe is from Mary Berry. Here is her recipe.

4 egg whites (at room temperature if you think of it, but not super necessary)

1 cup of sugar

2 tsp corn starch

2 tsp vinegar (like the stuff you use to clean. nothing fancy, just white distilled vinegar)

1. Start your 4 egg whites on slow speed. Gradually increase the speed until they are stiff-ish and cloud like.

2. While whisking at high speed, add your sugar one tsp at a time. Your egg whites will get beautifully shiny.

3. In a separate little bowl, mix the corn starch and the vinegar together. Then whisk them into your cloudy marshmallow. 

4. On a piece of parchment paper, plop your cloud down and make it into a 9 inch nest, with the sides higher than the middle. The middle part of the nest will hold your whipped cream and berries after it's cooked and cooled. (I leave the whipped cream and berries off because everyone in my family likes to make their own, but that's not very pretty.)

5. Have the oven preheated to 320. When you put your pavlova into the oven, immediately reduce heat to 300 degrees.

6. Cook for 1 hour until its firm and lightly beige. Leave in the oven to cool. (or don't. I took mine out because I needed the oven for something else, and it was just fine!)