Weekend Creme Brulee Recipe

Forget NBC & get ready for the weekend with this delicious creme brulee recipe from Bon Appetit magazine. Get out those torches & enjoy!

Ingredients for Custard:

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons ginger
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 5 large egg yolks

Ingredients for Creme Brulee:

• 12 teaspoons sugar
• Sliced tropical fruit (such as mango, papaya and/or kiwi)

What’s Next for Custard:

Go ahead and preheat your oven to 325 F, or 110 C. Place three 4-inch-diameter fluted flan dishes* in each of two 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pans or place six 3/4-cup ramekins in 1 pan. Mix cream, sugar and ginger in heavy medium saucepan.

Using small sharp knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean. Add seeds and bean to saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to simmer. Cover pan, reduce heat to very low and simmer gently 10 minutes to infuse flavors. Strain into large measuring cup.

Whisk yolks in medium bowl until well blended. Gradually whisk in hot cream mixture just to blend. Return custard to measuring cup; divide among dishes. Pour enough hot water into pans to come halfway up sides of dishes. Carefully transfer pans to oven.

Bake custards until almost set in center when pans are gently shaken, about 30 minutes for fluted flan dishes and 35 minutes for ramekins. Using metal spatula, transfer custards in dishes to work surface; cool 30 minutes. Chill at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

What’s Next for Creme Brulee:

Sprinkle 2 teaspoons sugar evenly over each custard. Working with 1 custard at a time, hold blowtorch so that flame is 2 inches above surface. Direct flame so that sugar melts and browns, about 2 minutes.

Refrigerate until custards are firm again but topping is still brittle, at least 2 hours but no longer than 4 hours so that topping doesn’t soften. Garnish creme brulees with fruit.

Four-inch-diameter fluted clear glass flan dishes are available at cookware stores and many hardware stores. They are about 2/3 inch deep and hold about 1/2 cup liquid.

Enjoy & have a lovely weekend!

Eat well & Laugh often.