White Chocolate Cranberry Creme Brûlée

Oh my. This dessert. It changed my life.

Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic. But, it's stupid good. And incredibly easy. Why haven't I made creme brûlée before? It's not hard at all. It simply required a bit of prep in the morning before dinner that night as it has to chill 8 hours. I used the broiler to crisp the tops, but now I have a torch on my wish list! The recipe comes from Southern Living and is perfect for the holidays. I hosted Christmas Eve dinner this year, and we had this amazing dessert to top it all off. Minds were blown. Dishes were actually licked clean.

Make this.

{these were such hot commodities, I only had time for an iPhone pic!}

White Chocolate Cranberry Creme Brûlée
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Ingredients
2 cups whipping cream
4 ounces white chocolate (I used a bar of Ghirardelli)
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1/2 of a 14 oz can of whole berry cranberry sauce
Ice cubes
Sugared cranberries and mint (recipe below)

1. Combine 1/2 cup cream and white chocolate in a heavy saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes or until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla and remaining 1 1/2 cups cream.

2. Whisk together egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar until sugar is dissolved and mixture is thick. Add cream mixture, whisking until well blended. Pour mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large bowl.

3. Spoon 1 1/2 Tbsp. cranberry sauce into each of 6 (4-oz.) ramekins. Using a spatula, spread sauce around bottom of ramekin. Pour cream-and-egg mixture evenly into ramekins; place ramekins in a large roasting pan. Add water to pan to depth of 1/2 inch.

4. Bake at 300° for 45 to 55 minutes or until edges are set. Cool custards in pan on a wire rack 25 minutes. Remove ramekins from water bath; cover with plastic wrap and chill 8 hours.

5. Sprinkle 1 1/2 to 2 tsp. remaining sugar evenly over each ramekin. Fill a large roasting pan or 15- x 10- x 1-inch jelly-roll pan with ice; arrange ramekins in pan over ice.

6. Broil 5 inches from heat 3 to 5 minutes or until sugar is melted and caramelized, or use kitchen torch. Let stand 5 minutes. Garnish, if desired.

Sugared Cranberries
*this makes plenty so you'll have extras for snacking*
1 cup cranberries
1/2 cup good maple syrup
1/2 cup sugar

Rinse cranberries and place in a medium bowl. Heat syrup in a small saucepan just until warm. Pour over cranberries when syrup is warm, not hot, or cranberries may pop. Cool, cover, and let soak in the refrigerator overnight.
Drain cranberries in a colander. Place sugar in a large bowl or baking dish. Add cranberries in 2 batches and roll around until lightly coated in sugar. Place on a baking sheet until dry, about 1 hour. Note: try to drain the cranberries as best you can. The excess maple syrup can get your cranberries too loaded down with sugar, so I had to use a fork to get my cranberries out of the sugar without too much excess.

Sugared Mint
1 tbsp light corn syrup
Handful mint leaves
sugar

Using a small, clean paint brush, brush syrup on tops of mint leaves and coat with sugar. Let sit 5 minutes and top with more sugar. Allow to dry for about 30 minutes. Shake off excess.

Holiday House 2012

Merry Christmas, y'all! I hope everyone has enjoyed a wonderful holiday with loved ones. Ours has been pretty wonderful! I have enjoyed this busy season so much that I haven't even blogged photos of the house! Each year, I make changes or improvements and like it more than the year before. This year is no exception. My mom and I had such fun switching things up. I'm so glad she helps me decorate each year. It's one of my favorite things we do together. Here are the pics! They are a mix of night/day shots taken at different times...

{front door}

{front entry buffet}

{a little bar setup}

{the dining room table - one of my favorites!}

{my mother-in-law gave us these etched glasses when we got married. she bought them years ago from a home owner whose house she listed. they are so gorgeous!}

{dollar store spray-painted animals left over from the baby shower in november}

{over the dining room hutch}

{keith's woodland tree in the dining room}

{the big tree!}

{loaded with ribbon, cotton bolls, berries, and yarn balls. oh, and lots of ornaments!}

{brown paper packages tied up with string}

{my friend at work, michelle, designed these awesome gift tags for me!}

{view of the entertainment center + tree}

{this was a gift from keith's grandma for our first christmas. love it!}

{antler tray from target + a few simple items already on hand are on the coffee table}

{the mantle!}

{these lanterns are almost all from Pier 1, and the candles are battery-operated on timers}

{this advent calendar was a gift last year from my friend, kelsey. she made this herself!}

{i spray-painted the clips gold for a little flair}

{corner of the living room. basket o' blankets}

{view of the living room}

{kitchen dining area}

{we added the wreath to the window this year}

{top of the hutch. one of my favorite little spots!}

{those little birds are from target this year. couldn't resist!}

{a few festive things behind the sink}

{in a hallway, i set up a card display. i re-arranged it several times this year, but this is what i landed on!}

{the wreath is from hobby lobby and i made the bunting sign using supplies from hb, too}

{the guest bathroom recently received a little makeover}

{the artwork of the girl kissing the elk came from vintage printable}

{this is a simple wreath and deer craft cutout from michael's. total thing was $6!}

I hope you enjoyed the little tour! I am looking forward to catching up on my blogging since I'm off all week! Hooray! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!!

PS- the winner of my giveaway was anonymous commenter Carmen. Please email me at mkendalljones at gmail dot com with your address so I can mail!!

 

GIVEAWAY: Southern Living Cooking for Christmas benefitting Ronald McDonald House Charities!

Happy Monday! I am so excited to make this post today. Y'all know I'm a true Southern girl, and I love all things Southern Living. It's one of my favorite magazines and I believe and trust in just about every recipe they've ever published. It's my go-to source for special occasions and fun ideas. I buy every single special edition magazine they put out and have a ton of their cookbooks.

Being that I also live in Memphis, I have a special place in my heart for precious sick children. We are the home of St Jude Children's Research Hospital, and families who are here for treatments have a place to stay at the Ronald McDonald House of Memphis. All families stay completely free of charge, and they do a great job of creating a "home-away-from-home" atmosphere and do lots of special activities for the parents, patients and siblings of those kids receiving treatment.

 These are photos of actual kids staying at the House now (via RMH Facebook Page)

Combine the two and you have this awesome cookbook produced by Southern Living to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities. The books are available for only $10 at Dillard's department stores, and the proceeds benefit the House. That's a total steal, by the way, for a fabulous collection of recipes... and it ultimately goes to a very important cause. Isn't that what this season is all about anyway?

As a true connoisseur of SL recipes, I can vouch that this is a best of the best of their dishes. I plan to keep this within reach all year long because it's full of great recipes that are perfect for any season. Many of the items in here are recipes I've made before and posted about on the blog! Here is a sample of what you'll find:

From top left: Easy Asiago Rolls, Baked Goat Cheese Dip, Chai Eggnog Cookies, Easy Orange Rolls, Pancetta-wrapped Tenderloin, Praline-Pecan French Toast, Red Velvet Brownies, Peppermint Patty Frappes, Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake, Cranberry-Orange Tea Bread Muffins, Savory Blue Cheesecakes with Waldorf Salad, Maple Sweet Potato Cups...

Is your mouth watering yet? Thought so.

So, I'm giving one of these fabulous cookbooks away! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment telling me what your favorite dish is during the holidays. Is it a cookie, a breakfast dish on Christmas morning or a beverage that makes your spirit bright? I want to hear all about it! I'll take comments until Wednesday night and then I'll post the winner and put this book in the mail!

My favorite recipe is this Orange Pecan French Toast Casserole (excuse the old/terrible excuse for a photo, promise it's tasty). I've made it every year for Christmas morning breakfast since Keith and I got married.

I would encourage you to purchase a book or two at your local Dillard's to benefit your local Ronald McDonald House. This would be a great gift for your mom, mother-in-law, co-workers, and friends!
No matter where you live, I hope the spirit of the holidays will touch your heart to donate to Ronald McDonald House Charities as they do so much for families in great times of need.

Merry Christmas! Ready - Set - ENTER BELOW!