Torviewtoronto: Crème Brulée

If you enjoy making puddings and desserts like Crème Brulée, then you will find having this type of 6.5" white, porcelain Crème Brulée dish to be useful. This dish is safe to be used in the oven, microwave, and dishwasher.

To make this Crème Brulée mixture I used...

4 cups heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

1/2 cup vanilla sugar

6 large egg yolks

Put the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan. Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and allow it to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve it for another use like making vanilla infused sugar.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and until it starts to lighten in colour. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continuously. The cream will lightly coat the back of a spoon.

Pour the mixture into 6 ramekins that hold about 1 cup. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour about 2 quarts hot water into the pan, so it would come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes in a preheated 325F oven until the Crème Brulée sets, but it should still be moving in the center. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours. It can stay in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Remove the Crème Brulée from the refrigerator about 1/2 hour before browning the sugar on top.

For the browning, I used 1/2 cup of sugar

Divide 1/2 cup of sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread it evenly on the top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the Crème Brulée to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.