Red, white, and blue creme brulee

Heat the heavy cream, milk, and vanilla bean in a large saucepan over medium heat. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof mixing bowl and beat until pale yellow in color and all of the sugar has dissolved. Temper about 1/2 a cup of the cream mixture into the egg mixture and whisk vigorously to incorporate well. Add the remainder of the cream mixture to the bowl and whisk vigorously to incorporate.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour the custard into 6 (5-ounce) oval ramekins or gratin dishes, and evenly distribute blueberries into center of ramekins. Place the dishes in a sheet pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come up half way on the sides of the ramekins. Place the pan in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 30-40 minutes, turning the sheet pan around after 15 minutes to ensure even cooking. To test for doneness, jiggle the pan slightly to see if the custard is set, if so, remove from the oven and let cool at room temperature before placing them in the refrigerator for 2 hours to completely cool.

Once the brulee has cooled, evenly spread 1 tablespoon of vanilla sugar over each ramekin and using a blowtorch, caramelize the sugar to form a candy coating. Be sure to keep the blowtorch moving in a circular motion to prevent the sugar from burning. Serve once the sugar has cooled and is hard like candy.

Blueberry Reduction

Ingredients

• Bluberries
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Dessert Wine
• Cinammon
• Nutmeg
• Sugar

Take 1-2 cups of fresh blueberries and cook over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar and 2 Tablespoons wine. Add 2 teaspoons cinammon and 1 teaspoon nutmeg. Let simmer and reduce. Add sugar to taste. Remove from heat and let cool. Chill in refrigerator.

Strawberries

Clean and thinly slice 6 fresh strawberries lengthwise.

Presentation

Take a finished ramekin and lay one strawberry so that the slices fan out slightly (should take up 1/2 -2/3 of surface area). Sprinkle lightly with vanilla sugar. Quickly caramelize the sugar with a blowtorch. Spoon in about 1 Tablespoon of the blueberry reduction next to the strawberry. Let cool and serve.