Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee
I have a strong distaste for pudding, custard, & jello, so I thought this meant that I must hate creme brulee also. This is why I never had it before I was 27. I tried it in a restaurant & LOVED it. The crunchy top is just what I needed to eat custard. I gave it a shot as part of Valentine’s Day dinner & now my creme brulee torch is my favorite kitchen gadget.
Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
- 1 quart heavy cream
- 1 vanilla bean, split & scraped
- 1 cup vanilla sugar, divided into 2 halves (you can find this is the baking section)
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 quart hot water
- 6 ramekins
- Creme brulee torch (or broiler)
Directions:
1) Place cream, vanilla bean, and its pulp in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil over med-high heat. Once boiling, remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes.
2) Meanwhile, whisk together 1/2 cup vanilla sugar with the egg yolks until they’re well blended and the mixture just starts to lighten.
3) When the cream is done sitting, add a little at a time to the sugar & yolk mixture, stirring constantly.
4) Set the ramekins in a baking dish. Fill the dish with hot water until the water is halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Ladle the cream mixture into each ramekin, leaving about a 1/2 inch of room.
5) Bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes, until the custard is set but still trembling on top. Remove ramekins & refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and up to 3 days.
6) To serve: remove ramekins from fridge at least 30 minutes before servings. Sprinkle a TB of vanilla sugar on top of each custard & torch until slightly caramelized & serve immediately.
**If you do not have a creme brulee torch then you can simply broil these on high for a few seconds each. Keep an eye on them because the sugar will burn easily.
*Note: It’s fun to let your guests torch their own creme brulees! Simply put a dish of the vanilla sugar out with the creme brulee torch & let them do it themselves.
