August 19 - Creme Brulee Never Fails

There is always a day (or two) that is designated as leftovers day. Well, today is that day. So instead of preparing another entree, I promised the kids that I will make a dessert.

Creme brulee is my favorite dessert when dining out. Is it the nice, crunchy caramel on top or the light, velvety cream inside that makes it a wonderful dessert? Not really sure...But all I know is that creme brulee is a good finale to a sumptuous (and heavy) dinner.

Although I started making it before dinner, the kids have to wait a little bit longer before they could have their dessert. But, it was worth the wait. They loved it. Once again, they gave me the two thumbs up!



Creme Brulee


Ingredients

9 egg yolks

3/4 cup refined white sugar (or powdered sugar)

6 tsp refined white sugar (or powdered sugar)

1 quart heavy cream




Preparation and Cooking Time

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk the egg yolks with 3/4 cup of sugar.
Pour the cream into a saucepan over medium heat. Make sure that it does not boil. Let it simmer for 8 minutes.
Remove the cream from the heat. Pour it (really slowly) onto the egg mixture and whisk it.
Pour the custard in 12 (3-ounce) ramekins (small baking porcelain dish). The 3-ounce serving is good enough for a kid to finish.
Place the ramekins in a roasting pan with water.
Bake the custard for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, take out the custard from the oven and let it stand on your kitchen countertop for 15 minutes.
Chill the custard in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of powdered sugar on top of each custard. Using a kitchen torch, brown the sugar to form a crust.
Garnish the creme brulee with mint and serve with Nilla wafers.