Crème Brulee

Ditch the fancy dress and pull out your blow torch because we are making Crème Brulee.

Crème Brulee, is a delectable dessert consisting of a rich custard base, topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel and normally served cold.

This dessert is simple to make and only carries 4 ingredients. It’s one of the most indulgent desserts that you’ll ever make in your kitchen in under an hour. Trust me, as your spoon cracks  through the delicate sugar crust to reveal the silky smooth cream beneath, you’ll be happy you skipped dessert at that fancy restaurant.

Ingredients:

 3 egg yolks

 3 tablespoons white sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons brown sugar (for caramelizing)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat egg yolks with vanilla together

Pour cream into a saucepan with white sugar and stir over low heat until it almost comes to boil. Remove the cream from heat immediately.

Using a ladle, slowly pour a little of the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture and whisking briskly, gradually add another ladle of cream while stirring, Repeat process until all the cream has been added into the egg mixture.

Pour mixture through a strainer into a large measuring cup or bowl to remove any unwanted pieces of egg

Pour the hot mixture into individual serving dishes or ramekins and place in a larger baking.

Set the baking dish with the ramekins in it on your oven shelf, and then pour hot water in the dish so the water comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the custard is set but still jiggles in the center, if shaken.

Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.

Refrigerate for 1 hour, or overnight.

Just before serving, sprinkle the tops with brown sugar.

If you have a blow torch:

Use it as directed to scorch the sugar on top until its caramelized.

If you don’t have a torch, your broiler will do just fine:
Place under broiler until the sugar melts then caramelizes, be sure to watch carefully so as not to burn.

Part of the fun of Crème Brule comes from the crispiness of the burnt top compared to the creaminess of the custard.  So serve immediately and enjoy J

NOTE:  

Placing the custard cups into the freezer for 15 minutes prior to broiling will help keep the final dish cold. 

When you burn the top and then re-refrigerate the custard, the top will become soft again, which isn't as pleasing to the palette, so only caramelize the serving you are planning to eat.