Vanilla Bean Tripel Infused Pot de Crème

Infusing the flavors of a Belgian Tripel style ale into a classic French custard recipe, creates a delicious Vanilla Bean Tripel Infused Pot de Crème dessert.

CourseComfort, Dessert
CuisineBeer Cuisine, French, Vegetarian
Cooking Beer StyleBelgian Tripel
Pairing Beer StyleBelgian Tripel
SeasonalFall Seasonal, Spring Seasonal, Summer Seasonal, Winter Seasonal, Year Around Seasonal
Food SectionCustard, Dairy
Cooking MethodBaking with Beer
BreweryMerchant du Vin, Westmalle
KeywordCooking with Beer

Servings	Prep Time
8guests	30minute

Cook Time	Passive Time
45 – 55minute	1hour

Servings	Prep Time
8guests	30minute

Cook Time	Passive Time
45 – 55minute	1hour

Ingredients

4cup cream, heavy or whippingpreferably organic
2each vanilla beans,split in half lengthwise
1 1/2cup Tripel Style Alesee Beer Suggestions below
1/2cup sugar, organicor Belgian Soft Blonde Sugar
6each egg yolks, from large eggs

Instructions

In a medium size pan, add cream, sugar and vanilla bean (use the tip of your knife to cut open the bean, then use the edge of your knife to scrap out the seeds, adding both the seeds and pod to the pan) and place over medium heat.
Bring mixture slowly to a simmer and remove from heat, covering with a lid. Let mixture steep for at least 1 hour. This will allow the cream to be fully infused with the vanilla bean essence. giving the finished custard a wonderful floral flavor.
While the cream is infusing, begin the beer reduction. In a separate sauce pan, add the Westmalle Triple or other beer of choice, leaving behind any sediment in the bottle. Place the pan over medium low heat, slowly reduce the beer to a light syrup consistency. Be sure to watch the beer, as when the beer begins to boil, it may foam over. It is best to slowly reduce the beer as if the heat is too high, you can scorch the beer. Once beer has been reduced to 3 tablespoons, remove the pan from the heat.
Once the cream mixture has steeped for an hour and the beer has been reduced, this is where the fun begins. Depending on the beer being used and the flavor it reduced too, will change how much needs to go into the custard. Add one tablespoon of the beer deduction to the cream mixture. Mix well and taste. Keep adding the beer reduction until you get a flavor you like. The flavor is right, when the cream, vanilla and beer flavors all find harmony, not competing with each other, but supporting each other. Remember, if you add too much of the beer reduction, you’ve added too much. Always error on the less is more principle.
Remove the vanilla beans from the cream (saving them for vanilla sugar, see recipe below).
In separate bowl and your egg yolks and whisk until they turn a pale yellow color and ribbons form. Add the beer infused cream mixture to the yolks and mix to combine.
Preheat oven to 300°F | 149°C.
Carefully pour the mixture into each ramekin. if there are any air bubbles, they need to be removed. The bubbles will form small craters on the finished surface of the custard. The best way to remove any bubbles is to use a torch and wave the flavor over the surface of the custard very quickly, causing the bubbles to pop with the heat.
Cover each ramekin with the covered lids (if you have the pot de crème dishes) or with plastic wrap. Place the filled dishes in a large roasting pan and fill with enough warm water to come two thirds of the way up the sides of the dishes. Set the pan in the center of the oven. Bake the pot de crème for 45-55 minutes, depending size of the ramekins and the temperature of the filling. The ideal temperature of the custard should be 180°F | 82°C and the custard should be set, but have a slight jiggle to them when lightly shaken. Remove from the roasting pan from the oven. Immediately remove the ramekins from the hot water bath and place onto a cooling rack. Pour out the hot water from the roasting pan and refill with ice cold water. Set the dishes into the cold water to stop the cooking and chill the custard. After about 20 – 30 minutes, place cooled ramekins in the refrigerator for 12 hours to set the custard completely, or until you can’t wait to taste them any longer.
Serve the finished pot de crème cold or just below room temperature. When using the traditional lidded dishes for this dessert, keep the lid on, for when your guests opens the container, it’s like opening a present and makes the dish more interactive, adding that mystery of what is inside.

Recipe Notes

Cooking Beer Suggestions:

I’d suggest a few favorites Tripels for this recipe: Westmalle Tripel since its has a rich malt character and light hop notes or Allagash Brewing Co. Tripel.