How to Make Creme Brulee

 Want to impress dinner guests? Or teenage boys? Or just impress yourself? Get out the blow torch and make yourself some fancypants Creme Brulee (crehm brue-lay).

Ingredients:
32 oz. heavy cream
6 oz sugar (white)
pinch salt
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
5.5 oz. egg yolks (5-6 yolks) beaten
sugar for crystallization (I used turbinado)


Instructions:

Step 1

1. Cream mixture: Combine cream, 4 oz. of the sugar, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring gently.

2. Vanilla bean: Remove from heat. Split the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds from the pod; add both seeds and pod to the cream mixture. Cover and steep for 15 minutes.

3. Egg yolks: Return pan to heat and bring cream to a boil. Combine the egg youlks and remaining 2 oz. of sugar and add to the hot cream.

Pre-baking; Step 4

4. Baking: Pick out the vanilla bean pod and pour custard 3/4 full into fancypants creme brulee ramekins, or just put it into little glass dishes like I did. Bake in a water bath (water halfway up the custard dishes) at 325 degrees F until just set; 20-25 minutes.

5. Refrigeration: Remove dishes from the waterbath and refrigerate until fully chilled.

Ready to light! Thanks dad!

6. Crystallize! Evenly coat each custard with sugar. I used turbinado sugar for this, but white sugar works just as well. Take your blow torch and melt the sugar to make a nice crusty coat. It might take some experimentation to get this right.

ALWAYS be safe with the blow torch. I borrowed my dad's from his shop. He showed me how to use it and I had him watch me the first time in case I messed up.

7. Serve right away! Preferably after you have impressed someone with your torchy kitchen skillz. If you refrigerate again, the liquid will soak into the sugar coat and make it soft- effectively ruining it.

SOOOO good!

Now I want to hear about YOUR impressive fancypants recipe from high places!