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Crème Brûlée
Crème brûlée is one of those food items that you see on restaurant menus but rarely indulge in at home. If you have a blowtorch, it’s a dramatic way to end the evening!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: Six 4-ounce crèmes
- Category: Desserts
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, cut in half and seeds scraped and reserved
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 6 tablespoons superfine sugar
- Sliced strawberries for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium nonstick saucepan, stir together the cream, milk, granulated sugar, and vanilla bean seeds and pod. Heat gently over medium-low heat until you see steam and small bubbles form around the edges of the pot; do not boil.
- While the cream mixture heats, put the egg yolks in a large bowl and whisk in the cornstarch to make a smooth paste. When the cream mixture is heated, pour it through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup and set aside to cool for 2 minutes. Very gradually add the cream mixture to the yolk mixture, whisking constantly.
- Return to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber scraper, and scraping the bottom and sides so it does not scorch. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes or until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the scraper.
- Remove the pan from the heat and again pour it through the fine- mesh sieve to remove any lumps. Discard the vanilla bean pod.
- Gently pour the custard into six shallow 4-inch ramekins set on a baking sheet. Cool to room temperature, then lightly cover with plastic wrap and chill for 3 hours or overnight.
- When ready to serve, remove the plastic wrap and top each custard with 1 tablespoon of the superfine sugar, applying it in an even layer thick enough to completely cover the surface. Using a kitchen blowtorch with a medium flame, pass over each custard just barely above the sugar surface, working in a circular pattern, until the sugar melts and becomes a dark golden brown. Serve, garnished with strawberries.
