Brulee gets wonderful Hawaiian touch

Wednesday, July 21, 1999 | 9:40 a.m.

Reading Chef Alan Wong's "New Wave Luau" cookbook written with John Harrison (Ten Speed Press, $35), made me want to hop a plane to Hawaii.

Wong is a 1996 James Beard Award winner (Best Regional Chef of the Pacific Northwest) and the chef/owner of Alan Wong's Restaurant in Honolulu.

Wong trained with legendary Chef Andre Soltner at New York's venerable Lutece before opening his own restaurant in Honolulu.

Wong takes full advantage of Hawaii's cultural diversity by adding his own singular East-West style.

This is a cookbook to be savored not only for the recipes but for the glorious photography by Hawaii native Danna Martel, an award-winning photographer.

From pupu to sushi to dessert, "New Wave Luau" is a treasure. At the Alan Wong Restaurant, Hawaiian-flavored creme brulees are served in Chinese porcelain soup spoons rather than in ramekins. "Each spoon holds about two tablespoons of brulee. If you use 1/4-cup ramekins instead, half-fill them. You will need to prepare one brulee at a time, making this recipe labor-intensive, but they can be prepared ahead of time," Wong says. The effect is dazzling. Arrange the brulees, one of each in a line on a small tray or plate.

Carefully read over the following recipes. I've included all five, but you can, of course, limit the number. The porcelain spoons are available in any of our many Chinese markets.

Basic Brulee Recipe

1/2 c. heavy cream

3 extra-large egg yolks

2 Tbs sugar

1/2 Tbs butter

Macadamia Nut Brulee

Basic Brulee Recipe

1/2 Tbs macadamia nut liqueur

2 Tbs ground macadamia nuts

To prepare the Macadamia Nut Brulee, in a small saucepan, slowly bring 1/2 cup of the cream, macadamia nut liqueur and nuts to a boil. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Meanwhile place 3 of the egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in the top of a double boiler over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly using a wire whisk for about 10 minutes or until very thick. Add the boiling cream mixture and 1/2 tablespoon of the butter, stirring to combine. Remove from the heat. Half-submerge the top of the double boiler in a bowl of ice and stir the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes or until it stops steaming. Fill 6 Chinese porcelain soup spoons with the mixture and chill. To finish, see Toppings recipe below.

Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate Brulee

Basic Brulee Recipe

1/4 c. Hawaiian Vintage chocolate drops or coins, or other good-quality chocolate, chopped

To prepare the chocolate brulee, in a small saucepan, slowly bring 1/2 cup of the cream to a boil. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Meanwhile place 3 of the egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in the top of a double boiler over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly using a wire whisk, for about 10 minutes or until very thick. Add the boiling cream mixture, 1/2 tablespoon of the butter and the chocolate. Cook, stirring, until the chocolate has melted and is thoroughly incorporated. Remove from the heat. Half-submerge the top of the double boiler in a bowl of ice and stir the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes or until it stops steaming. Fill 6 Chinese porcelain soup spoons with the mixture and chill. To finish, see Toppings recipe below.

Ka'u Orange Brulee

Basic Brulee Recipe

Zest of 1/2 Ka'u or navel orange, grated

To prepare the orange brulee, in a small saucepan, slowly bring 1/2 cup of the cream and the orange zest to a boil. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Meanwhile place 3 of the egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in the top of a double boiler over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly using a wire whisk, for about 10 minutes or until very thick. Add the boiling cream mixture and 1/2 tablespoon of the butter to combine. Remove from the heat. Half-submerge the top of the double boiler in a bowl of ice and stir the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes or until it stops steaming. Fill 6 Chinese porcelain soup spoons with the mixture and chill. To finish, see Toppings recipe below.

Kona Mocha Brulee

Basic Brulee Recipe

1/2 Tbs ground Kona espresso beans

2 Tbs Hawaiian Vintage chocolate drops or coins

To prepare the Kona Mocha Brulee, in a small saucepan, slowly bring 1/2 cup of the cream and the ground espresso beans to a boil. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Meanwhile place 3 of the egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in the top of a double boiler over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly using a wire whisk, for about 10 minutes or until very thick. Add the boiling cream mixture and 1/2 tablespoon of the butter and the chocolate, stirring until the chocolate has melted and is thoroughly incorporated. Remove from the heat. Half-submerge the top of the double boiler in a bowl of ice and stir the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes or until it stops steaming. Fill 6 Chinese porcelain soup spoons with the mixture and chill. To finish, see Toppings recipe below.

Lilikoi Brulee

Basic Brulee Recipe

2 Tbs passion fruit pulp and seeds (from 2 passion fruits) or passion fruit concentrate

To prepare the Lilikoi Brulee, in a small saucepan, slowly bring the remaining 1/2 cup of the cream and passion fruit to a boil. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Meanwhile place the remaining 3 egg yolks and remaining 2 tablespoons of the sugar in the top of a double boiler over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly using a wire whisk, for about 10 minutes or until very thick. Add the boiling cream mixture and 1/2 tablespoon of the butter stirring to combine. Remove from the heat. Half-submerge the top of the double boiler in a bowl of ice and stir the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes or until it stops steaming. Fill 6 Chinese porcelain soup spoons with the mixture and chill. To finish, see Toppings recipe below.

Toppings

Zest of 1/2 orange, finely julienned

1/4 c. water

1/4 c. plus 5 Tbs sugar

1/2 tsp finely diced macadamia nuts

6 curls shaved Hawaiian Vintage chocolate or other good-quality chocolate

6 coffee beans

Pulp of 1 passion fruit

Arrange 1 spoon of each brulee on individual plates.

In a small saucepan, combine the orange zest, water and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Boil for 10 minutes or until syrupy. Drain the zest. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of sugar over the brulee in each spoon. Place the brulee under the broiler for about 30 seconds or until the sugar caramelizes.

To serve, top the macadamia brulee with the nuts, the chocolate brulee with the shaved chocolate, the orange brulee with the candied zest, the kona brulee with the coffee beans, and the lilikoi brulee with the passion fruit. Yield: 6 servings.

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