Basic Creme Brulee

I'm not a Creme Brulee expert but this is glorious! One of the things I got for my birthday last week was a Brulee torch so I just had to use it!


Serving: 6-8

Recipe:

2 vanilla pods, split and scraped
4 cups heavy cream
10 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar plus extra for the tops


Heat oven to 320°F. Put vanilla pods in the heavy cream and heat over medium heat to a simmer, cover and sit for 15 minutes. Meanwhile beat egg yolks with a whisk, add sugar and whip until the yolks lighten in color. Prepare 6-8 ramekins by placing a tea towel in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Place the ramekins on the towel, keeping them level. Heat 2 quarts of water to hot but not boiling. Take out vanilla pods from cream and any dried layer on top of cream. Slowly combine hot cream with egg yolks, whisking constantly. Pour custard into ramekins about 3/4 full. Put pan in the oven and very carefully pour hot water into the pan, without getting ANY water in the custard, until the water is half way up the ramekins. Bake for 40-45 minutes. The custard will be quite wobbly in the center. Do not over-cook. You may need to turn the heat down a little if they seem to be getting done too fast. Take the ramekins out of the water and put them in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 2 hours. Take custard out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you brulee them. Sprinkle about 1 tsp sugar on each ramekin. Brulee the sugar with a kitchen torch or under the broiler until dark brown but not burnt.  Let the sugar harden for a few minutes before serving.

*Note: You can infuse the cream with anything you like. What we've tried so far is 5-6 star anise which was delicious and 2 cinnamon sticks and 1 tablespoon orange peel along with 1 vanilla bean which was also delicious.

For chocolate creme brulee:
Substitute 6 ounces bittersweet (unsweetened) chocolate for the vanilla pods. Bring cream to barely a simmer, remove from heat and add the chocolate. Stir until it's all melted and set aside. Continue with recipe, ignoring any directions for the vanilla.

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