Crème Brûlée

Grab your torch and spoon! We attack the ramekins at 10:00 AM!!

There are a lot of variations to Creme Brulee. You can play a little with ratios to suit your tastes and preferences. But what an amazing creation made from such simple ingredients. Cream, Sugar, Vanilla, and Egg Yolks.

I hope I'm not breaking any code of secrecy by posting this recipe. We basked in the tutelage of a certified Le Cordon Bleu graduate who shared her expertise and recipe with us.

1 qt Heavy Cream

3/4 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean

10 egg yolks

Here are the instructions straight from the recipe:

1. Heat cream, sugar, and vanilla bean over low flame until bubbles form around edges.

2. Whisk egg yolks. Stir in hot cream being careful not to create air bubbles or foam.

3. Strain and pour into ramekins. Place in a water bath to come halfway to the level of the custard.

4. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour or until set.

5. Remove from water bath and chill.

6. Brown with blow torch.

OK. Gourmet Chefs don't need much instruction. So here it goes for us kitchen warriors.

Get set up for success.

1. Set your ramekins in a large, deep roasting pan. Separate your eggs. Split your vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Preheat Oven to 325 degrees.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine cream, sugar, and vanilla bean. Scrape vanilla from the bean and then drop the whole thing in. You'll be able to fish out the vanilla shell later.

3. Heat the creamy mixture over a medium heat until bubbles form around the edge. Stirring constantly.

4. When the cream is ready, turn off the heat and use it to temper the egg yolks. Temper the yolks by:a) whisking the egg yolk itself, just until it is smooth; b)continue to stir as you gradually add about 1/4 cup hot cream to the yolks; c) repeat the previous step at least 3 more times. This will ensure that the eggs have reached the temperature of the hot cream without immediately cooking. Try not to create air bubbles or foam.

5. Pour the egg/cream mixture back into the saucepan. Over a medium heat, sitr and heat the mixture until it sticks to the back of a wooden spoon. In other words, stir and pull the wooden spoon out. Scrape your fingernail across the back of the spoon. If the cream runs down through the line you scraped, keep heating the cream. If the cream does not run through the line you scraped, it is done.

6. Once your cream passes the wooden spoon test, you are ready to pour into the ramekins. If you tempered your eggs correctly, you will not need to strain the mixture. If you think you have some chunks in your creamy mixture, all is not lost. Just pour through a fine sieve before you pour into the ramekins.

7. Place your pan of full ramekins in the middle rack of the oven. Use a pitcher to fill the roasting pan with water until it comes half way up the sides of the ramekin.

8. Bake in the oven fro 45 minutes to an hour or until set.

9. Remove the whole thing from the oven and allow to cool until you can touch the ramekins.

10. Remove and cover ramekins and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

11. Sprinkle about a teaspoons worth of sugar on the top of the chilled pudding. Torch until brown and serve!

Good luck, ladies! And see you on the other side.