Creme Brulee

When I was a teenager my brother-in-law, Pat, was the manager at a restaurant called Horatios.  My sister and I would go there often when he was on duty for brunches or nice dinners.  I fell in love with three things at that restaurant...eggs benedict, blueberry muffins, and burnt cream.

Burnt cream is the same thing as Creme Brulee.  The earliest known recipe for Creme Brulee was in a French cookbook in 1691.  In the 18th century it was translated into English as Burnt Cream.  Whatever name you call it by.....it is delish!  What it is not, however, is low in fat!  This is an extremely rich dessert and probably not one you would eat daily (oh who am I kidding....I would if I had any in my house) but it is perfect for a special occasion.   Creme Brulee is a rich custard based dessert topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel which is formed by sprinkling sugar over the cooked custard and then burning the sugar with a kitchen torch or under the broiler to form a hard caramel layer on top.

I have been making this dessert ever since I received my first kitchen torch and this great cookbook "Elegantly Easy Creme Brulee".  This book has all kinds of fantastic recipes but in all honesty I have only ever made the classic creme brulee.  I am a purist I guess!

This was my first time making it with my kids and Max had a blast using the torch, maybe a little too much fun.....should I be worried?  

Don't be afraid that it is too complicated....this dessert is super simple and fool proof.  If you don't have a torch, caramelize the sugar under your broiler and then pop those bad boys back in the fridge for a few minutes to harden.  My favorite part about this yummy dessert is cracking that top shell with my spoon and going in for the first bite!  YUM!

Crème brûlée from Elegantly Easy Creme Brulee
makes 6 servings

8 egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or the beans from 1/2 a fresh vanilla bean)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (for caramelizing the tops)

Preheat oven to 300F.  

In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until the sugar has disolved and the mixture is pale yellow and thick.  Add cream and vanilla and continue to whisk until well blended.  Strain into a large bowl.

Divide mixture among 6 ramekins.  Place in a waterbath (I use a large roasting pan and fill halfway up the sides of the ramekins with hot water), and bake until set around the edges, but still loose in the center, about 40 to 50 minutes.  Remove from the oven and leave in the waterbath until cooled.  Remove cooled ramekins and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours. 

When ready to serve, sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of sugar over the top of each custard.  Use a small hand held torch to melt the sugar.  If you don't have a torch, place under the broiler until sugar melts.  Return to refrigerator for a few minutes before serving.

Recipe shared on:
Freedom Fridays
Adorned From Above Link Party
Treasure Box Tuesday
Hearth & Soul Blog Hop