Creme- Brulée

Since I will be away for my moms birthday this year, I wanted to go for dinner and celebrate with her before I go on my trip. My mom asked that I not make a cake. There's always a lot leftover, and for those who are trying to watch their waistlines and be healthy it's not great. I decided instead to make creme-brulée. It's one of my mom's favourite desserts and its easy to make small portions of it. I've also been meaning to make it since I got a torch  ( not to worry, if you don't have a torch you can just broil it in the oven).



My mom was actually too full from our dinner to even eat it, so she took it home and will eat it tonight. My dad and I devoured ours. Emily, who sampled some earlier in the day also said it was really good. It was easier to make then I expected. It looks like the recipe takes forever, but most of that time the creme-brulée is just sitting in the fridge and you can be relaxing on the couch (..or out for a jog ;)).  I will definitely make it again for guests.

After looking up several recipes, I chose one from the food network, that got 5 stars and didn't require and double broiling on the stove. This recipe serves 6 (I cut it in half and it made 4 servings)

For 6 servings:

Ingredients

• 1 quart heavy cream (4 cups)
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped  (if you don't have any, use vanilla extract)
• 1/2 cup vanilla sugar and then 1/2 cup for topping ( 1 cup total)- This can be purchased in the baking aisle of most grocery stores, you can also mix in with normal white sugar
• 6 large egg yolks
• 2 quarts hot water (8 cups)

Directions

- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

- Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. *
- Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes (mine took longer- it will depend on your oven)
- Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

- Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. If you dont have a torch broil for 2-3 minutes in the oven. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

* I read somewhere that one of the most common mistakes is to not put enough water, so be sure the ramekin is covered up to the halfway mark

Enjoy!