Expressive activity - Crème Brûlée~

The following is the expressive activity for session 2 "How to embrace loneliness?" To check out part one of the session, please click the link here: "How to embrace loneliness?"

In this session we are going to make the Crème Brûlée from the movie Amélie. You could also choose to draw your own crème brûlée using oil pastels, watercolors, pencils, markers or using digital tools.

Engaging in a creative art-making process, such as baking (it's a part of culinary art) and painting can help portray and address emotions. Try to devote yourself to the process of making the artwork, and you can post your thoughts in the comment section after doing the expression activity. It can be anything that comes to your mind when creating the work, or your feelings about the whole process. Try to enjoy and have fun~

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Make the crème brûlée

Ingredients

Egg yolk ----------- 37g (2eggs)

Heavy cream ----------- 138g

Milk ----------- 70g

Granulated sugar ----------- 25g

Half of a vanilla Bean

Some light brown sugar for the caramel topping.

Steps

1. Pour the cream, milk into a milk pot. Cut the vanilla bean in half and remove the vanilla seeds, then add both into the pot. Turn on the heat and cook the mixture until slightly bubbling, then remove from the heat and let it stand for 15min.

2. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together, pour the cream mixture into the egg yolks in three times, making sure to mix well each time before pouring the next time.

3. Sift the mixed custard and pour it into the molds. Place a deeper baking dish under the molds and pour boiling water in the baking dish (water should reach half the height of the mold). Preheat the oven to 170Celsius and bake for 35-40min.

4. After the baked puddings are cooled, place them in the refrigerator to chill.

5. Take the pudding out of the refrigerator, sprinkle a layer of brown sugar on the surface and heat with a torch until a caramelized crust is formed.

6. Enjoy the crème brûlée! Don't forget to crack the top crunchy layer with teaspoon first.

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Drawing&Painting

In the first part of this session, my classmate Y and I watched the movie Amélie together and we discussed about the topic of "loneliness." After the discussion, she drew the following piece on her iPad.

She chose to paint in bright and warm tones, using mainly yellow and light brown colors. According to her description, "While I was painting, I kept thinking about what I would eat when I was alone late at night? I would imagine its smooth texture and shiny surface." The drawing process was mentally and emotionally relaxing for her. After completing the painting, she feels emotionally satisfied and sees it as a great way to express her emotions.