Recipe: Creme Brulee

Since Thanksgiving I've been baking A LOT! So, my hubby asked me if I could stop baking for a short period of time as part of his new year's resolutions. We are very opposite when it comes to sweets - he has the biggest sweet tooth so he'll keep eating and eating because he can't control himself. The stuff I bake could sit there for days and at the most, I'd eat a few here and there. So, to help him out, I vowed that I'd put off baking for a while.

Yesterday was my last day to bake, so I decided to make creme brulee. The recipe was so easy and the result was fabulous. Here are the easy-to-follow directions:

Ingredients:

1 quart heavy cream

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar

10 egg yolks

1 pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Use 6-7 oz. ramekins and place them in a 13x9 baking pan

2. Heat the over to 325 degrees

3. Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat until scalded (you'll see small bubbles on the sides of the pan). Turn off heat and set aside. (TANGENT - I walked away for a two seconds and my cream boiled over, oops! No worries, still usable. So make sure to watch it as you heat it up.

4. In a medium bowl, slowly whisk the sugar and salt into the egg yolks.

5. Slowly temper the hot cream into the sugar/yolk mixture. (TIP: I poured the hot cream in batches and slowly stirred each time)

6. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a pitcher or measuring cup (I used a a tiny strainer and it worked perfectly)

7. Stir in vanilla extract.

8. Pour the mixture into the ramekins. Fill the baking dish with water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins and cover the dish with foil.

9. Bake until just set, 25-50 mins. (about 50 mins for me, using a 7 oz. ramekin cup). You should check early; baking time will differ depending on thickness and depth of your ramekins and baking dish.

10. Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and let ramekins cool in the water bath

11. Remove ramekins and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

12. For the topping: sprinkle a layer of sugar over each cold creme brulee just before serving.

13. Caramelize by using a propane torch by passing over the sugar or putting under the broiler (I used the broiler and it worked out just fine)

ENJOY!