Creme brulee is of these things that sounds so hard, impressive and intimidating one almost doesn't want to reveal how easy it really is. I made it tonight for the first time and it came out divine! Dear Husband has been wanting it for a long time, and I finally got around to getting a torch. I actually got the torch as a Christmas to Dear Husband, the idea being that he would be making it. But I ended up in the kitchen and am sure glad I did.
We tried topping it with brown sugar and white sugar, and I have to say the white sugar is easier to work with and it looks prettier after melted.
We used the recipe it came with the torch, it was great but it could use a little more sugar (!). Also, I did not have any vanilla beans on hand so I substituted it with 1 tablespoon good vanilla extract instead. I will be ordering some beans tonight for next time.
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vanilla bean (split)
3 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1/4 cup sugar
Sugar for topping
Cut up fruit or berries
Directions:
1. Combine heavy cream, milk and vanilla bean. Heat to boil. Remove from heat and steep 10 minutes with vanilla bean. Scrape seeds into the milk mixture.
2. With an electric mixer, combine eggs and sugar. Add the milk mixture in a steady stream. Strain mixture through a fine strainer. Skim foam.
3. Divide into 4 small ramekins ( mine were really small so I used 6) set in baking dish and pour enough water around ramekins to come 1/2 up the sides. Place in 325F oven for approximately 25-30 minutes, until just set ( trembles slightly).
4. Cover top with sugar. Caramelize the tops with torch.
The final product.
Simple ingredients from your pantry.
Separating the eggs.
Slowly streaming the milk.
Straining it.
Skimming the foam.
Carefully pouring it into ramekins.
Very slowly placing it into the oven.
With sugar on top, ready to be caramelized.
Torch in action.
