8

I used to sell desserts and baked goods - I'm thinking about 'reopening'. I would like to offer creme brulee as an option since its one of the more popular desserts when I make it for friends and family.

The problem is, I can't figure out how to make it 'to go'. I can't raise the price enough to give them a traditional ramekin. If I provide it in a styrofoam container, I can't blowtorch the sugar on top without melting the container.

I've already pretty much assumed I'll be cooking it in one container and scooping it into another to give to them. As such, I'm open to less traditional and more innovative solutions overall - mainly on how to provide it to them in a 'take out' container AND have the crunchy top.

Is there an established way to do this or does somebody have a simple solution that I'm overlooking?

Rodrigo de Azevedo
  • 655
  • 5
  • 16
rfusca
  • 14,017
  • 16
  • 65
  • 95

6 Answers6

11

I've eaten from the creme brulee cart in San Francisco before, which is basically a food cart that sells nothing but. They're presented in one-serving disposable aluminum ramekins and the crunchy top comes from caramelizing as people order. I've seen similar in bakeries and restaurants that sell creme brulee to go. Presumably this is far easier than cutting up large batches or trying to come up with ways that don't melt styrofoam! :)

creme brulee

More pics from the cart: http://hoodscope.wordpress.com/2009/05/04/street-food-redefined-the-creme-brulee-cart/

Community
  • 1
janeylicious
  • 1,048
  • 1
  • 7
  • 12
5

A sandwich shop in Madison, IN surprised me with creme brulee to go, in a styrofoam container. I bugged the chef to show me how he did it. Simple: he oiled the rim of a ramekin, sprinkled the sugar on top of the custard, then torched it. After letting it cool for just a few seconds, he carefully lifted the top off with a spatula and placed it on the styrofoam cup. It worked very well and he presented a wonderful to-go product.

Hugh
  • 239
  • 1
  • 3
  • 3
3

I actually had creme brulee made inside an orange, once. It was hardly the best creme brulee I've ever had, but I don't think it was the orange's fault. They had cut a fairly large hole in the top and then scooped out the orange. Since it was a citrus and lavendar influenced version of creme brulee, I don't think they were too concerned about getting out every last bit of orange.

Hank Gay
  • 131
  • 3
1

If you could find a stainless steel milkshake-cup insert (the sort that you'd use to fill the milkshake cup without spilling while you whizzed it), and it sat 'just right' in your otherwise disposable ramekin, it might absorb the heat for long enough before it dissipated it to the plastic ramekin. (Aluminium would likely not work ... it transmits the heat too quick).

David Bullock
  • 219
  • 1
  • 5
1

Use a ramekin sized so they are nearly 100% full when made

Use paper circles to line the ramekin to about the 3/4 mark. Use oil or other "glue" to make the paper stick smoothly to the ramekin surface. Then make the creme brulee as usual

Depending on how you caramelise the sugar, you might get away with oiling the ramekin edge (if using the under the grill/broiler method) to stop the sugar sticking, or just run a knife around immediately after torching it (blow torch method)

To dispatch; run a knife around the top edge down to the paper, invert with small silicone baking sheet or silicone dish on top. Replace ramekin with plastic dish of same size and re-invert

Let is cool somewhat before transferring to plastic !

TFD
  • 25,359
  • 5
  • 50
  • 90
0

The coffee cup industry is innovating with edible cups (eg. https://good-edi.com/ has them as small as 6oz) which are (I think) the food version of compressed wood products, and are resistant to even hot liquids. I've never had one, but imagine it could be quite a nice textural counterpoint to a soft custard, and would probably stand up to the blowtorching, with probably-desirable secondary toasting of the rim of the 'cup'.

Maybe the width-to-height ratio is a little tall/narrow (which limits the surface area of the burnt sugar!) ... but maybe there is something on the market that will suffice? Or you maybe you could make your own 'cheesecake base' that erred on the 'bite hard to crack a piece off' end of the scale?

David Bullock
  • 219
  • 1
  • 5