Un, Deux, Trois....Raspberry Crème Brûlée, or When My Daughter Becomes the "Chef"

The day we decide to start a blog, one of the first things we think about, is its name...for a long time, my blog was going to be called "Crème Brûlée"...Why? Because I considered, that la crème brûlée is, for people not living in France, like the first approach to the world of French cooking... simple yet refined, "irritatingly perfect".... Like that famous dialogue between Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz, in my Best Friend's Wedding...some women will always be "jello" while others are "crème brûlée"... I loved this analogy! (please, watch this dialogue of the movie here!)

Then, "la crème brûlée" is omnipresent in all French restaurants, from the "château-like" establishment, to the dark, passage-way bistro...there is always some sort of "crème brûlée" in "la carte" (the menu)...

It is the raspberry season....mommy is working day and night for a cocktail for 200 people for "Menu Malbec", so my daughter said..."I will cook for the blog" 

My daughter is particularly motivated about cooking because in a few days she will be working in a Michelin-starred restaurant. How? Why?

To finish and pass their first year of Lycée (15 year-old class), students in France must find themselves an internship and work for 15 days. Then, their "patron" (employer) has to fill out a form telling the school if the student has been a responsible worker, if he/she has showed progress, enthusiasm, etc...The problem is that we, parents, have to look for this position, and that, companies are often reluctant to engage youngsters! 

Since my daughter dreams of becoming a chef....a French chef....to go to work to New York or Los Angeles! (dixit my daughter!), I thought that a period in a real kitchen would her help see if that hard life is what she really wants!! Because a real kitchen is far from paradise...but you know me..I was not going to leave "my Camilita" is some dirty, parisian kitchen, so I was cheeky enough to knock at the door of a Michelin restaurant and asked to speak to the chef!! And to my surprise, the chef said "yes" (or "oui" actually!) You know what? The chef was himself puzzled to hear that a girl wanted to work in a kitchen..his staff? all men..Yes, believe it or not, women are not that welcome in French kitchens....it's a hard job for guys!!

In any case, I take the opportunity to thank Chef Stéphane Gaborieau, for opening the doors of his prestigious Michelin-starred restaurant Le Pergolèse for my daughter, and mainly for having welcomed her (who was shaking as a leaf at the thought of being face to face with a French celebrity) with a big friendly smile....She is starting June 14th..I will tell you about it! 

The dessert is a classic "crème brûlée" with hidden raspberries inside, and on top...two minutes to make it..yes, long time in a mildly-warm oven, and then, quite some time in the fridge....The result will always be elegant, classy....

Like Julia Roberts said to Cameron: "You are not jello...you will always be crème brûlée..."
Enjoy it!

For this recipe, you will need:
(fro 8 small ramequins)
* raspberries, 200gr *egg yolks, 5 *cream, 400ml *milk, 100ml  *raspberry liqueur, 1tbsp *sugar, 100gr *mint leaves for decoration

Pre-heat your oven (100°C) Place some raspberries inside the ramequins. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar till it "whitens". Slowly, incorporate the vanilla seeds, the cream, milk and liqueur. Pour the mixture into the ramequins. Cook in a "bain Maire" for one hour;  if you use tall ramequins like here, add 10' more. Let the ramequins cool. Then refrigerate for at least, 5 hours. Just before serving, sprinkle with sugar and burn with a torch. Decorate with raspberries and mint leaves.