Crème Brûlée

One of my all-time favorite desserts is Crème Brûlée.  I just love its creamy goodness.  When it is on the menu I don’t have to wonder what to have.  It is always my first choice even before chocolate, believe it or not.  This weekend I had the best Crème Brûlée ever.  It was everything a Crème Brûlée should be and more.

It was garnished with biscotti and an out-of-this world spun sugar basket of fruit.  It was amazing.

If you ever thought you wanted to try Crème Brûlée on your own.  Here is an Alton Brown recipe that is worth trying. 

Ingredients

1 quart heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

1 cup vanilla sugar, divided

6 large egg yolks

2 quarts hot water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the Crème Brûlée is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

Remove the Crème Brûlée from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the Crème Brûlée to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.