Mango Ginger Creme Brulee

I recently had a wonderful ginger creme brulee at Ngon Vietnamese Bistro in St. Paul. Here is my take on the classic creme brulee inspired by the dish at Ngon.

Ingredients:

• 3 egg yolks
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 mango
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

How to:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
   
2. In a food processor puree the mango with 1 tablespoon of cream. Mix in the grated ginger and set aside.
3. Heat the remaining cream and vanilla in a sauce pot until the mixture reaches a boil. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10-15 minutes.
4. While the cream is cooling, beat the egg yolks and 1/4 cup of sugar until the egg yolks become a pale yellow. Mix in the mango ginger puree.
5. Slowly whisk in the cream mixture
6. Pour mixture into 3 8-ounce or 6 4-ounce ramekins. Place the ramekins into a roasting pan and fill up the pan with warm water until the water covers half the ramekins half way.
7. Bake for 45 minutes if 8 ounce ramekins, or about 30 minutes if 4 ounce ramekins. The mixture should look firm with slightly soft center.
8. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
9. Before serving, sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar over the custard. Either using a kitchen blow torch or broiler, caramelize the sugar on top. Serve immediately.

Notes: Delicious and highly recommended! I was a bit nervous to add in more liquids (mango puree) in fear that the creme brulee wouldn't set, but it turned out great! I would recommend this or even experimenting with more flavors. The mango ginger puree added about 3-4 tablespoons of extra liquid.