Happiness in a ramekin...

When answering a friend's Facebook question regarding what to bake to keep her from losing her skills, my suggestion was creme brulee. She claimed it was too complicated, but I disagree. Thanks to Debbie Puente, the Queen of Creme Brulee, and her fail-proof recipe, this elegant, decadent dessert can be as easy as...well...creme brulee. I've made this on several occasions, typically following a meringue when I don't feel like wasting my egg yolks to the garbage disposal and have some additional heavy cream on hand. So here it is:

Classic Creme Brulee

8 egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup granulated white sugar (for the caramelized tops)

Preheat oven to 300ºF. In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Add cream and vanilla, and continue to whisk until well blended. Strain into a large bowl, skimming off any foam or bubbles.

Divide mixture among 6 ramekins or custard cups. Place ramekins in a water bath (large pan filled with 1 or 2 inches of hot water) and bake until set around the edges, but still loose in the center, about 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled. Remove cups from water bath and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days. When ready to serve, sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of sugar over each custard. For best results, use a small, hand-held torch to melt sugar. If you don't have a torch, place under the broiler until sugar melts. Re-chill custards for a few minutes before serving.

Serves 6

http://cremebrulee.com/creme.htm

Here is a picture of one of my attempts:

This is a magically easy, creamy and smooth, beautifully elegant, horribly fattening dessert that is a perfect use of those extra egg yolks.