creme brulee won't set up

[Tiffany10]

I have been using the same creme brulee recipe for years
8 egg Yolks
1/3 C Sugar
16 oz heavy whipping cream
1 t. vanilla
Bake in waterbath (abt 1/2 inch) for 50 min @ 300 degrees

Previously I used an electric oven and it turned out perferct. Now I am using a gas oven and it is liquidy. What do I need to do to get this to work?

[dano1]

well ya got plenty of yolks -keep on cooking, toss a thermometer in the oven to see if its calibrated and adjust from there, up the oven. It will set with that many yolks(not splashing any of the water into the ramekins?).

Ya heating the cream? tempering the eggs properly? baking from cold or hot?

[Tiffany10]

everything is cool when it is prepared. No water has gotten in the ramekins. I have been very careful about that

[dano1]

it will set-turn up the oven. Only time i've seen em not set was when the oven was too low for an extended period-not a food scientist but a guess is that the proteins wouldn't coagulate and were denatured by the extended slow heat.

p.s. try the classic technique

[Tiffany10]

what is the "classic technique"

[cape chef]

Perhaps you should approach it like a stove top stirred custard.If not, be sure you beat your eggs to the ribbon stage with your sugar.If you just blend the ingredients you show on your recipe you would not have established a homogeneous base.

Edit to add.There is a plethora of talented pastry chefs on Cheftalk that I'm sure could lend further and finer details.

[AprilB]

Creme brulee -

separate 40 yolks

Mix 1 gallon cream
2 c sugar
scald cream and sugar - temper beaten yolks into cream mixture.

add 2 T vanilla

add 1/2 c liquor if desired

bake 350 30-45 minutes in water bath (about 1" from lip of ramekin) until just jiggly. Check often after about 30 minutes.

Works every time. You can cut the recipe with no problems.

Of course then you're left with decisions about what types of merangue to make...

April

[cape chef]

That's almost 180 oz, and you say you can cut the recipe with no problem. With all due respect, when we try to teach on this site we need to be very specific within reason. Baking and pastry arts cannot always be scaled up or down verbatim. Can you please write this recipe to yield 6, 4 oz brulee's

Thanks

[chrose]

Originally Posted by Tiffany10

I have been using the same creme brulee recipe for years
Previously I used an electric oven and it turned out perferct. Now I am using a gas oven and it is liquidy. What do I need to do to get this to work?

It seems that perhaps the recipe is not the problem if it's always turned out. Think about it, only one parameter has changed in your recipe and that's switching from electric to gas. That would lead me to believe that one of your ovens needs to be calibrated. I'm guessing that your electric was running high Ex. you think it's 300ºF but it is actually at 330ºF that right there would do it.

[panini]

Well I must agree with Chrose. and also CapeChef.
April, the recipe looks a little funny. I'm pretty sure there is not enough sugar . Maybe it's a quart?or 2# sugar?
Just wondering, not being criticle.
pan

[cape chef]

Originally Posted by panini

Well I must agree with Chrose. and also CapeChef.
April, the recipe looks a little funny. I'm pretty sure there is not enough sugar . Maybe it's a quart?
Just wondering, not being criticle.
pan

Also, for clarification. The sugar should be whipped with the eggs, not scalded with the cream. Yes?

[panini]

Well, Sometimes in a formula, we will put a percentage of the sugar into the milk or cream to to widen the period of time from, scald to burn. Anywhere from 25-50 percent.

[felixe the dog]

I agree, check your oven, and if you have a probe thermometer check the core temp of your product.
You may just have to be patient and give the brulees a little more time.
Depending on the rational oven we use, our baking times can vary by at least 1/2 an hour, just use your good judgement and skill.

[AprilB]

(kind of a problem if you're collecting a lot of whites with no lemon pies in sight...)

Actually my recipe is not a whole lot different from Tiffs when you multiply (or divide) by 5.

It's not that big of a deal. It's one of many variations and I was just mentioning that mine seems to always work, divided or not. (as long as you don't forget to check it) I just naturally kind of assume people use their calculator. The liquor addition is nice too. Respectfully speaking I don't know of many instances where there would be a call for only 6 creme brulee. (well, private or personal chef maybe...) You can divide it by half or 1/4 and any remaining custard mix can be saved for 2 or 3 days. I've heard you can make ice cream with it, but I dunno. Haven't tried it.

Oh, btw: 2c 3.2 oz c/6 y/ 1/3 c s. (+ 'bout a half tsp of vanilla) Oh, and a nice variation is to put a tsp of ganache or caramel sauce in the bottom before you fill and bake. Wanted to experiment with different fruit coulis at some point.

A...

[AprilB]

I suppose it could be argued that it should be done a certain way and 'shouldn't' work, but I learned this method and it always works.

Beats me.

April