Creme Brûlée
The phrase, “third times the charm”, really seems to ring true for replicating desserts. Before this third attempt, our creme brûlées were not up to standard. I do think that sometimes the recipe you choose to follow may not be the right one for you. I know that sounds weird but I’ve tried different desserts multiple times and sometimes one recipe works out better than another. We came across Alton Brown’s recipe and if I’ve learned anything about using his recipes, they are always a success! Our first Alton Brown recipe we attempted was the pretzels and they were for sure a winner!
I highly recommend trying this recipe as soon as possible. You won’t regret it!
Ingredients:
1 quart heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (I only had vanilla paste and it worked just as well)
1 cup vanilla sugar, divided
6 large egg yolks
2 quarts hot water
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.
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. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.
