Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows
Horchata Crème Brûlée in a Churro Bowl
Prep. Time:
Baking Time:
Total Time:
45 mins
1 hr 10 mins
6 hrs
Serves:
6 servings
Jake created this dish for MasterChef ™ Season 16. He read horchata as a custard that had simply never been set, boiling cream and milk with long-grain rice and finishing with both Ceylon and cassia cinnamon so the custard tastes of horchata rather than merely of cinnamon. Piped in a coil and fried...
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Ingredients
FOR THE HORCHATA CUSTARD: 100 g long-grain white rice, uncooked (plain long grain, not basmati or jasmine) 500 ml whole milk 400 ml double cream (heavy cream) 1 Ceylon cinnamon stick, broken up 1 cassia cinnamon stick 9 large egg yolks 120 g caster sugar (superfine) 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 pinch fine salt
FOR THE CHURRO BOWLS: 250 ml water 60 g unsalted butter 1 tbsp caster sugar 1/2 tsp fine salt 150 g plain flour (all-purpose), sifted 2 large eggs, beaten 1/2 tsp ground cassia cinnamon 2 L neutral frying oil
TO FINISH: 2 tbsp caster sugar, mixed with 1 tsp ground cassia cinnamon, for dusting 100 g white chocolate, for the optional lining 6 tsp caster sugar, for the brûlée crust
EQUIPMENT: Heavy-based saucepan Blender Fine sieve Jug Six shallow 150 ml silicone moulds or ramekins Roasting tin Piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle Small stainless steel bowl or ladle, about 10 cm across Deep heavy pan for frying Cooking thermometer Wire rack Blowtorch
Method
STEP 1: INFUSE THE RICE AND DAIRY
Rinse the rice once and drain. Put it in a heavy-based saucepan with the milk, cream, the Ceylon cinnamon stick and the cassia cinnamon stick. Bring gently to a bare simmer and hold there for 20 minutes, stirring often so the rice does not catch on the base. The liquid should thicken slightly and smell strongly of cinnamon.
STEP 2: BLEND AND STRAIN
Lift out both cinnamon sticks. Blend the rice and dairy until smooth, then strain twice through a fine sieve, pressing hard. What passes through should be a thin, opaque, faintly gritty cream. Discard the solids.
STEP 3: MAKE THE CUSTARD
Whisk the egg yolks, caster sugar, vanilla extract and salt to a pale ribbon. Reheat the strained horchata cream to just below boiling and pour it onto the yolks in a slow stream, whisking constantly.
STEP 4: STRAIN AND SKIM
Strain again into a jug. Skim every bubble from the surface — bubbles set into pits and will spoil the brûlée crust.
STEP 5: BAKE IN A WATER BATH
Divide between six shallow 150 ml silicone moulds or ramekins. Silicone releases the set custard cleanly; if you use ramekins, plan to spoon the custard out rather than turn it out. Set them in a roasting tin, pour hot water halfway up their sides and bake at 150°C / 300°F for 30–35 minutes, until the edges are set and the centres wobble as a single mass rather than rippling.
STEP 6: CHILL UNTIL FIRM
Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. The custard must be genuinely firm before it meets fried dough, and this is the one step that cannot be rushed.
STEP 7: MAKE THE CHURRO PASTE
Bring the water, butter, caster sugar and salt to the boil. Take off the heat, add all the flour at once and beat to a smooth ball. Return to low heat for one minute, beating, to dry the paste.
STEP 8: BEAT IN THE EGG
Cool for five minutes, then beat in the egg a little at a time until the dough is glossy and just holds a piped ridge. Beat in the ground cassia cinnamon. Load into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.
STEP 9: PREPARE THE MOULD AND OIL
Invert a small stainless steel bowl or ladle, roughly 10 cm across, and oil the outside. Heat the frying oil to 180°C / 355°F in a deep heavy pan — deep enough that the mould can be fully submerged.
STEP 10: PIPE THE BOWL
Pipe the dough onto the outside of the mould in a tight spiral, working from the base outward so the coils touch and fuse. Lower the whole mould into the oil.
STEP 11: FRY AND SET THE RIM
Fry for 3–4 minutes until deep golden and rigid, then slide the bowl off the mould and fry for another minute with the open side down to set the rim. Drain upside down on a wire rack rather than on paper, so the ridged surface stays crisp.
STEP 12: DUST AND COOL
Dust the outside with the cinnamon sugar while the shell is still hot. Cool completely. Repeat until you have six bowls.
STEP 13: LINE THE BOWLS (OPTIONAL)
If the assembled dessert will stand for more than about thirty minutes before eating, brush the insides of the cooled bowls with melted white chocolate and let it set firm. If it goes straight to the table, leave it out — that is how the dish was cooked and judged.
STEP 14: FILL THE BOWLS
Working with the custards straight from the fridge, release each one into a churro bowl, or spoon it in and level the top.
STEP 15: BRÛLÉE THE TOPS
Sprinkle a level teaspoon of caster sugar evenly over each surface and torch with a blowtorch to a deep amber, moving constantly. Let the sugar harden for one minute.
STEP 16: SERVE
Serve immediately. Crack the sugar, scoop the custard, then break off a piece of the wall — the churro is both cutlery and course.
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Instructions
FOR THE HORCHATA CUSTARD:
100 g long-grain white rice, uncooked (plain long grain, not basmati or jasmine)
500 ml whole milk
400 ml double cream (heavy cream)
1 Ceylon cinnamon stick,(/interesting-ingredients/ceylon-cinnamon) broken up
1 cassia cinnamon stick
9 large egg yolks
120 g caster sugar (superfine)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch fine salt
FOR THE CHURRO BOWLS:
250 ml water
60 g unsalted butter
1 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp fine salt
150 g plain flour (all-purpose), sifted
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp ground cassia cinnamon
2 L neutral frying oil
TO FINISH:
2 tbsp caster sugar, mixed with 1 tsp ground cassia cinnamon, for dusting
100 g white chocolate, for the optional lining
6 tsp caster sugar, for the brûlée crust
EQUIPMENT:
Heavy-based saucepan
Blender
Fine sieve
Jug
Six shallow 150 ml silicone moulds or ramekins
Roasting tin
Piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle
Small stainless steel bowl or ladle, about 10 cm across
Deep heavy pan for frying
Cooking thermometer
Wire rack
Blowtorch
Heading 5
Ingredients
STEP 1: INFUSE THE RICE AND DAIRY
Rinse the rice once and drain. Put it in a heavy-based saucepan with the milk, cream, the Ceylon cinnamon stick and the cassia cinnamon stick. Bring gently to a bare simmer and hold there for 20 minutes, stirring often so the rice does not catch on the base. The liquid should thicken slightly and smell strongly of cinnamon.
STEP 2: BLEND AND STRAIN
Lift out both cinnamon sticks. Blend the rice and dairy until smooth, then strain twice through a fine sieve, pressing hard. What passes through should be a thin, opaque, faintly gritty cream. Discard the solids.
STEP 3: MAKE THE CUSTARD
Whisk the egg yolks, caster sugar, vanilla extract and salt to a pale ribbon. Reheat the strained horchata cream to just below boiling and pour it onto the yolks in a slow stream, whisking constantly.
STEP 4: STRAIN AND SKIM
Strain again into a jug. Skim every bubble from the surface — bubbles set into pits and will spoil the brûlée crust.
STEP 5: BAKE IN A WATER BATH
Divide between six shallow 150 ml silicone moulds or ramekins. Silicone releases the set custard cleanly; if you use ramekins, plan to spoon the custard out rather than turn it out. Set them in a roasting tin, pour hot water halfway up their sides and bake at 150°C / 300°F for 30–35 minutes, until the edges are set and the centres wobble as a single mass rather than rippling.
STEP 6: CHILL UNTIL FIRM
Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. The custard must be genuinely firm before it meets fried dough, and this is the one step that cannot be rushed.
STEP 7: MAKE THE CHURRO PASTE
Bring the water, butter, caster sugar and salt to the boil. Take off the heat, add all the flour at once and beat to a smooth ball. Return to low heat for one minute, beating, to dry the paste.
STEP 8: BEAT IN THE EGG
Cool for five minutes, then beat in the egg a little at a time until the dough is glossy and just holds a piped ridge. Beat in the ground cassia cinnamon. Load into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.
STEP 9: PREPARE THE MOULD AND OIL
Invert a small stainless steel bowl or ladle, roughly 10 cm across, and oil the outside. Heat the frying oil to 180°C / 355°F in a deep heavy pan — deep enough that the mould can be fully submerged.
STEP 10: PIPE THE BOWL
Pipe the dough onto the outside of the mould in a tight spiral, working from the base outward so the coils touch and fuse. Lower the whole mould into the oil.
STEP 11: FRY AND SET THE RIM
Fry for 3–4 minutes until deep golden and rigid, then slide the bowl off the mould and fry for another minute with the open side down to set the rim. Drain upside down on a wire rack rather than on paper, so the ridged surface stays crisp.
STEP 12: DUST AND COOL
Dust the outside with the cinnamon sugar while the shell is still hot. Cool completely. Repeat until you have six bowls.
STEP 13: LINE THE BOWLS (OPTIONAL)
If the assembled dessert will stand for more than about thirty minutes before eating, brush the insides of the cooled bowls with melted white chocolate and let it set firm. If it goes straight to the table, leave it out — that is how the dish was cooked and judged.
STEP 14: FILL THE BOWLS
Working with the custards straight from the fridge, release each one into a churro bowl, or spoon it in and level the top.
STEP 15: BRÛLÉE THE TOPS
Sprinkle a level teaspoon of caster sugar evenly over each surface and torch with a blowtorch to a deep amber, moving constantly. Let the sugar harden for one minute.
STEP 16: SERVE
Serve immediately. Crack the sugar, scoop the custard, then break off a piece of the wall — the churro is both cutlery and course.
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