Crème Brulee

Crème Brulee is probably one of the tastiest deserts I’ve had. It is creamy, rich and melts in your mouth with a crunch on top. The very first time I’ve had this desert was while visiting a dear friend in Portland, OR. She made Crème Brulee for us and we’ve been hooked ever since. This is also one of my baby sister’s favorite deserts. It is always fun to watch my 11 years old sister and my husband quarrelling, who gets the last custard.

This recipe came with the Rodelle Vanilla Beans that I bought from Costco. Original recipe uses 1/2 cup of sugar, but I reduced it by 2 tablespoons. It is pretty easy to make and quite delicious.

Crème Brulee

Serves: 6 to 8
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Baking Time: 40 to 45 minutes
Inactive Cooling and Chilling Time: 3 hours or more

Ingredients:
8 large egg yolks
1/2 cup minus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 vanilla bean
2 cups heavy whipping cream
Hot water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. With a sharp knife, split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Scrape the seeds out of the pod, using the backside of the knife. Keep this aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Add seeds of the vanilla bean and beat to combine.
4. In a heavy bottom pot, over medium high heat, heat whipping cream until almost simmering, and do not let it boil.
5. In a very slow stream, gradually add whipping cream to the egg yolks mixture while whisking vigorously. This is called tempering the eggs. The key is to whisk continuously while adding cream slowly so that the eggs do not curdle.
6. Divide the mixture equally into 6 to 8 ramekins, depending on the size of the ramekins.
7. Place the ramekins in a baking pan and fill it with enough hot water to come halfway up the sides.
8. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes, just until the custard is set but still jiggles in the center.
9. Remove the ramekins from the pan, let cool completely and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
10. Remove the custard from the fridge, 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of sugar on top of each of the custard.
11. Torch method: With a torch, melt the sugar until golden color to form a crispy top. Let this sit for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.
12. Broiler method: If you don’t have a torch, place the custards under broiler checking every 15 to 20 seconds until the sugar is melted and golden in color. Let cool for few minutes before serving.

Note: I sometimes add the vanilla bean pod while heating the whipping cream to get every bit out of the beans and remove it before adding the cream to the eggs. If not, the pod can be added to your sugar jar to flavor your sugar.

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