Its a beautiful day!  The temperature cool,  skies clear, and Emma and I had a good trail blaze this morning, finding new pathways and walking old ones. We’ve walked every single day this Autumn, and are very much on track, but just a little tired & aching too.  Back home to open up the doors and windows and let the smooth fresh Autumn air billow out the rafters ! Then I thought to get busy in the kitchen with my latest idea of potted brulee. But first some tea. . .

I have been on a preserving kick lately, mostly with apple butter and small-batch jams but I have been thinking about ‘preserved’ custardy things …  just little yummy things in jars, like brulees, rice or tapioca pudding, like just pop the lid off and have something amazing & home-made sort of thing.  Yesterday I ran into town to buy a case of 1/2 cup little canning jars, and so I finally got busy  with steam baths and sterilizing jars and a good measure of inventiveness from a standard vanilla bean brulee recipe.  My idea was to cook the little custards in steamy water bath (with loose lids) for about 25 minutes, then when done, take them out and tighten lids immediately, like you do with jars of jam.   There’s no sweeter kitchen sound than the ‘ping’ of canning lids cooling with their vacuum tight seal.   Oh but I did leave one for tasting !

After cooled I figure to keep them in the fridge, but will have a hugely longer shelf life as well as (I’m hoping) to maintain the freshness of ‘just made’ brulee. Well, that’s my latest experiment in any case. I can hear it begging to be slathered in home-made berry preserve. Can’t you? Or a sprinkle of raw sugar crystals caramelized with a brulee torch. Because lets face it, nothing is better.   Well, at least nothing comes to mind at the moment,  especially now that morning has become noon, and I’m hungry!