Crème Brûlée

Crème brûlée.  When I first heard of the dessert, it sounded fancy… and intimidating!  How could I ever learn to make a dessert of which I could barely spell the name?  The creamy goodness underneath a crunchy, caramelized sugar top?  Impossible!

I first tasted this dessert on a fancy outing with my husband at a high-dollar restaurant.  And it was absolutely delicious.  I had to learn how to create a crème brûlée dessert at home… after all, I could not afford to pay for this restaurant to make it every time I wished to eat it.

I read through dozens of recipes.  After that, a half dozen more.  And I took a risk in combining a few of them.  It paid off, as I believe that I have created a recipe that I’m almost willing to call “foolproof”.

The ingredients are quite simple:  cream, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla extract.  But the results?  Decadent.

Unfortunately I was interrupted midway through making making this dessert by a rather charming 11.5 month old… so I only have these two pictures: the ingredients and the final product.  Hopefully my instructions will make up for the lack of pictures.

Crème Brûlée
An Everyday Home Cook Original

3 egg yolks
6 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl, whisk together yolks and 2 tablespoons of sugar.  In a small saucepan, heat cream and 2 tablespoons of sugar over low/medium heat until sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.  Whisk a small amount of cream into yolks to temper them.  Slowly whisk the rest of the cream into the yolks.  Pour into two 7-oz ramekins.  Place in a baking dish, and pour enough boiling water into the dish to reach about 2/3 of the way up the sides of the ramekins.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes.  They are finished baking when they jiggle slightly when shaken (the consistency of gelatin).  Cool about 10 minutes on wire racks.  Refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours, but no longer than 2 days.  Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon sugar.  Broil 4-6 inches from heat, or use a small kitchen torch to caramelize sugar.  Chill a few minutes to set sugar before serving.

Serves 2.