crème brûlée

crème brûlée is about as perfect as dessert can get. i had never had crème brûlée until our recent trip to cincinnati. we ate at jeff ruby’s and it was so heavenly, i decided that i needed to figure out how to make it!  i picked up a crème brûlée torch set from bed, bath & beyond, butane from meijers, and was on my way to making the recipe below. i hope that you enjoy it!

• 2 c heavy cream
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (don’t use the kind with alcohol in it, the flavor isn’t as good.)
• 4 egg yolks (save the whites and make a healthy omelette to make up for the crème brûlée!)
• 4 tbsp white or brown sugar

1. preheat the oven to 300°
2. bring a large pot of water to boil. while the water is boiling, combine cream, 1.4 c sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. stir occasionally 4 to 5 minutes, until steam rises. in a medium bowl, beat egg yolks and vanilla until smooth. temper hot cream into yolks, stirring constantly, until all cream is incorporated. pour mixture into ramekins.
3. place ramekins in baking dish, and place dish on oven rack. pour boiling water into dish to halfway up the sides of the ramekins. cover whole pan loosely with foil.
4. bake 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until custard is just set. chill ramekins in refrigerator 4 to 6 hours.
5. before serving, sprinkle 1 tbsp sugar over each custard. use brown sugar for a caramel flavor, use white for a crunchier topping. brown top.

enjoy!