Crème Brûlée

 Crème Brûlée is a really wonderful custard desert which impresses when you go to a restaurant but which also is very easy to make at home.  I have been making this for a while and have gotten tired of having to find the recipe so I have documented one of my own here.

For my recipe I'm going for something very simple to make.  I use half and half which I always have on hand for coffee and White Russians and vanilla extract.  Heavy cream would be more traditional along with a vanilla bean but I think the desert is plenty good with these short cuts. When using a vanilla bean you usually steep it in the warm cream and then temper the egg with that.  I am skipping this step as well and mix everything cold.

With all that this still makes a really nicely flavored custard with a nice soft and creamy texture which is lighter than when using cream (I'll have to try cream and half and half versions side by side at some point to see which I like better.

Anyhow, here is the recipe so I never have to try to find one I like again

Recipe Details:

• 6 egg yokes
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 pint Half and Half
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp Orange Liquor
• 1 pinch of salt
• Extra Sugar for Top (2-3 tsp is a good amount for a 4 in ramekin)

Process Details:

• Separate egg yokes into a mixing bowl
• Add sugar and mix thoroughly - the mix will become a ligher yellow color as  you mix it
• Add the vanilla, orange liquor, salt, and half and half and mix
• Divide the mix into ramekins - this batch will make 4 ramekin worth
• Pre-heat oven to 325 F
• Have a pan of water in the oven and cook the ramekin in them - water bath will slow the cook.  They take about 45 min to setup.  You want them to be jiggly but not liquidy
• Let them cool on the counter top for an hour and then more to the fridge for a couple hrs
• Add sugar to the top and use a torch to caramelize it into a candy layer.  I think some dark patches taste really nice.  Doing a couple thin layers of sugar and two rounds of the torch seems to get a better layer.  Move it back to the fridge for a couple hours to cool down before serving (or you could eat it right then as well)