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Recipe: Kahlua Crème Brûlée from Royal Caribbean's main dining room

In:
13 Apr 2020

If you are like me, being stuck at home means you might be eating a little bit more than usual (no judgement), so if you are going to indulge, why not go all out?

There are many dishes that have become Royal Caribbean main dining room classics, and that includes creme brulee.

The combination of a rich custard base topped with a texturally contrasting layer of hardened caramelized sugar is a big hit with many, and here is how you can make the same exact dessert at home!

Crème Brûlée Ingredients

Crème Brûlée

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 shot Kahlua

Garnish

  • Brown sugar
  • Fresh berries
  • Mint leaves

Suggested music while preparing Crème Brûlée

  • Matt and Kim - Get It

Crème Brûlée Instructions

Serves 6

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. In a saucepan over medium heat, slowly bring cream to a boil.
  3. In a mixing bowl. combine egg yolks and sugar and beat until mixture is lemon colored. Place over simmering water and beat until mixture has doubled in volume, about 10 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and keep whisking to cool it down.
  5. Slowly stir hot cream and Kahlua into egg mixture. Using a fine sieve, strain into a bowl set over ice to quickly chill the mixture.
  6.  Pour mixture into individual molds set in a shallow pan or baking dish. Pour water into the pan until it is halfway up the sides of the molds and bake for 40 minutes.
  7. Evenly sprinkle top with brown sugar and place under broiler or use a pastry blow torch to heat sugar until it turns brown and bubbles.
  8. Let set for a few minutes, then garnish with berries and mint.


Tips:

  • Set the creme brulee molds in a shallow pan or baking dish and place in the oven. Then pour warm water around the molds. This avoids spilling water on the floor or into the custard When placing the pan in the oven.
  • The water surrounds the molds and creates a thermal "jacket" around the custard as it bakes. As the water heats. it keeps the custard at an even temperature and helps the custard set evenly

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast Episode - Top 5: Royal Caribbean desserts

In:
23 Dec 2015

Listen to the Show

On a Royal Caribbean ship, dining is as much a part of the cruise experience as the pools, activities, and entertainment. It’s also something that affords you and your family wonderful opportunities to sample, share, learn from and enjoy flavors from literally around the world. And not every dining opportunity has to be enjoyed during breakfast, lunch or dinner. So this week, we’re going to countdown my top 5 Royal Caribbean desserts.

On this episode:
Running time:

Spotted: Giant cupcake for sale on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas

In:
15 Nov 2015

It is probably safe to assume most people really enjoy a good cupcake, but how about a giant cupcake?

On Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, Royal Caribbean Blog reader Rich Freudenberg spotted this giant cupcake for those that enjoy cupcakes but wish they could be a meal.

If you are wondering just how giant this cupcake is, here is a normal sized cupcake compared to the giant variety.

That is a big cupcake!

Guests can purchase this giant cupcake in the Cupcake Cupboard on Freedom of the Seas and comes in your choice of colors, and even has a cherry on top.

You can have these giant cupcakes for a variety of occasions. 

At $25, this cupcake costs as much as a meal, but it might make sense as a cake replacement idea (and certainly more interesting).

What do you think of the giant cupcake?  Please let us know with a comment!

The Ultimate Royal Caribbean Dessert Checklist

In:
19 Aug 2015

Let me be blunt: I love desserts. And I believe I am not the only one!

Desserts are that indulgent and savory part of any meal, where we forget about life for a few minutes and enjoy the sweet taste of a pastry, baked good or frozen treat.  Royal Caribbean has its fair share of desserts that guests may sample across the ships in the fleet but we wanted to seek out the best desserts in our quest to find the ultimate Royal Caribbean desserts!

After carefully considering all of our options (and saving room for dessert), here are the desserts we absolutely cannot get enough of (despite what our doctors recommend).  Enjoy!

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream

Ever since Royal Caribbean partnered with Ben & Jerry to bring premium ice cream to their cruise ships, this has been the spot onboard to get your ice cream fix.

It does not matter which flavor of ice cream hits the spot for you, the thing is, Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop has been a favorite spot to stop in for a treat.

And have you ever walked by Ben & Jerry's while they are making waffle cones? Not sure if it should be a crime to allow that kind of a smell out into the open or if the real crime is not stopping in to get one.

Whether you stop at Ben & Jerry's as a post-meal dessert or you just need a little ice cream break in your day, no Royal Caribbean cruise is complete without at least one ice cream cone!

Red velvet cake from Chops Grille

Chops Grille has become Royal Caribbean's signature specialty restaurant and guests have been flocking to this restaurant for years now.  Sure the steak is really, really, really good but have you ever had the red velvet cake?

Maybe it is the generous serving size or maybe it is the red velvet flavor, but this cake is so good that it cannot be left uneaten.  Trust us, we have tried to resist but it is futile.

The red velvet cake has been a staple of the Chops Grille menu for some time and while it seems like it may have changed a bit over the years, it remains a top dessert pick!

Huckleberry cheesecake form Chops Grille

Yet another dessert from Chops Grille makes our list and this one is relatively new to Royal Caribbean.

When Royal Caribbean revamped Chops Grille's menu in 2014, a new dessert was added, the huckleberry cheesecake.  

I will be honest, I had never had huckleberries before and the name conjured up imagery from the famous Mark Twain character.  Nonetheless, our waiters have been recommending the huckleberry cheesecake ever since.

You get cheesecake with huckleberries adorned on top and the combination is simply perfection!  There is something about the tartness of the berries combined with the richness of the cake and it just equals yum.

Chocolate banana empanadas from Sabor Modern Mexican

While I am not the world's biggest banana fan, my wife insisted the chocolate banana empanadas from Sabor Modern Mexican make the list because they are just amazing.

What you have essentially is melted banana and chocolate inside a fried shell.  

It seems like everyone at Sabor really loved these dessert empanadas and for good reason.  They are rich, moist and small enough that you start to think, "Yes, I should ask the waiter for a few more".

My wife also wishes to give an honorable mention to the churros from Sabor as well.  Like children, it is difficult to pick a favorite.

Cupcakes from the Cupcake Cupboard

The Cupcake Cupboard debuted with the Oasis class cruise ships but they have found their way to many other Royal Caribbean ships and for good reason.  These cupcakes are awesomesauce!

First, the cupcakes are the size of a baseball, which means there is plenty to enjoy. 

Second, the rich frosting and clever designs make these cupcakes just as much fun to look at as eat (although eating is quite good too).

You can get bonus points in our dessert checklist if you try creating your own cupcakes at one of the Cupcake Cupboard cupcake making classes.

There are classes for children and adults and it proves you can have a lot of fun playing with your food.

Carrot Cake Trifle from Chic

Carrot cake may not be everyone's go-to dessert choice but this bad boy is worthy of a taste.

Chic, one of the complimentary restaurants on Quantum-class ships, has simple yet elegant desserts and their carrot cake trifle makes up for in taste what it lacks in size.

You will find spiced cake with a cream cheese mousse and a raisin sorbet.  Trust me, it's muy delicioso.

Cheesecake Lollipops in Cafe Promenade

Whichever genius decided to take little bits of cheesecake, roll it into a ball and place it on a stick has my respect for furthering the human species as a whole.

If you wondering if cheesecake lollipops are as good as they sound, the answer is yes.  Yes, they are.  

The thing about these cheesecake lollipops is you cannot eat just one.  Somehow your brain compels you to get another, and another and yet another because they are so small, how could they bad for you!

Milkshake from Johnny Rockets

Johnny Rockets serves up a lot of classic American food but without a doubt, the item to get on the menu is the milkshake.

You can tell it is good when Royal Caribbean charges extra for just milkshakes but they are worth every penny because of how large, sweet and cold they are.  It is the perfect way to cool down from a day out in the sun or compliment a fresh-off-the-grill burger.

Milkshakes at Johnny Rockets have been a staple of any Royal Caribbean cruise for a while now and year after year, guests flock to their beloved chrome decorated restaurant for a handmade frozen treat.

What are your favorite Royal Caribbean desserts? Be sure to comment below and let us know!

Chocolate anyone? Report from Legend of the Seas featuring award winning chocolatier

In:
17 Jun 2011

Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas recently feaured award-winning chocolatier Then Chui Foong was aboard the cruise ship to create a chocolate sculpture in an exclusive demonstration, which had never been done at sea.

TODAYOnline was able to sample the chocolate offerings aboard this ship, such as a cherry on the ile flottante (a French dessert called "Floating Island").

"It's like a fantasy, so I made it look like flowers blooming. To me, it's like the sea and blossoms and sunshine."

Foong described the art of making chocolate sculptures and the challenges that come with it, "Making a chocolate sculpture is very technical, and I was without the usual equipment and utensils.  But I overcame that by using the most basic techniques - just hot water to melt the chocolate slightly and to adjust the temperature quickly, so that I could assemble the showpiece in half an hour."

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