Creme Brulee

My mother-in-law, Kim, made a delicious dinner for us tonight. She made pork loin, asparagus, smashed potatoes, tomatoes, and crescent rolls. Yum! But the icing on the cake, so to say, was the dessert.

Making creme brulee turned out to be quite an adventure. First of all, you are supposed to refrigerate the dish overnight before you serve it. Seriously? Who can make a dessert and just stare at it for days? No way. Not us. We made it (well… Mrs. Kim made it), we ate it. And let me tell you, it was gooooooood.

The adventure continued when we needed to torch the sugar on top. My sister-in-law’s boyfriend, Raul, turned on the torch, began torching the sugar, and quickly went up in flames. That’s right, his entire arm was set ablaze. We’re talking flames to the ceiling… He’s totally fine but man, looking back on it, I sure wish I had a picture. I was standing there with my camera on him when it happened. All I would have had to do is push the button. But, my fight or flight kicked in and I took off. Too bad.

This dessert is worth it. It’s worth the time, the effort, the risk of burning yourself or your house down, and the extra miles you’ll have to run after indulging.

Creme Brulee

Time: 1 – 1/2 hours
Level: Medium to difficult
Servings: 4

2 c. heavy cream
5 egg yolks
1/2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. or so of light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 275°. Whisk the cream, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla together in a bowl. Pour the mixture either into individual ramekins or a small casserole dish. Place the ramekins or casserole dish in a larger casserole dish. Pour hot water into the dish until it reaches half way up side of the ramekins or  smaller dish, creating a water bath. Put in the oven for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, check every 10 minutes. Creme brulee is done when you can stick a knife in the middle and it comes out clean.

Remove the ramekins or smaller casserole dish from the water bath. Set them n the counter to cool, about 15 minutes. Put them in the fridge to chill overnight. (We skipped this step, but it probably would have been a good idea) When ready to serve, sprinkle a thin layer of brown sugar on top.

Torch the top or place the dish under the broiler for 1 minute.

Yum!