Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee

Ingredients: 

• 4 cups organic heavy cream
• 2 vanilla beans
• ½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. organic cane sugar
• 8 egg yolks
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Pinch salt
• Extra granulated sugar for topping (1-2 Tbsp per ramekin)

Directions:

1. Set Eight (6 ounce) ramekins in a baking pan (or two). Have hot water ready to go for the water bath when it is time to bake the custards.
    
2. In a medium sauce pan pour in all of the heavy cream. Split the vanilla beans and scrape out the seeds into the cream. Whisk to disperse the seeds. Add the beans and set the heat to medium. Heat until steaming, being careful not to let it boil. Once hot, cover and let steep for 20 minutes.
    
3. Preheat oven to 325 deg F.
    
4. In a separate bowl combine the egg yolks, sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Mix well until thick and pale and when you lift the beater a ribbon of mixture pours back into the bowl. When the cream has steeped for 20 minutes, strain it into another bowl or large mixing cup. Rinse and reserve the vanilla beans for another use. Start to whisk the eggs slowly and add the warmed cream mixture a little at a time to temper the eggs, warming them up being careful not to scramble them. Keep the cream pouring in a thin stream as you whisk, being careful not to incorporate too many bubbles or cause the mixture to foam up. You can strain again at this point to make sure none of the egg scrambled during the tempering.
    
5. Divide the mixture amongst the ramekins in the baking pans. Pour hot water into the pan, making sure it reaches to about halfway up the ramekins. The water needs to be hot to ensure even cooking.
    
6. Place pans carefully in the oven, making sure no water splashes into the custards. Bake for 30-35 minutes. The custards will set on top but still be a little loose, they will set fully once cooled. Remove from the oven and remove the ramekins from the water bath to a cooling rack to cool completely. Chill at least 4 hours or overnight.
    
7. When ready to serve, bring the custards to room temperature. Spoon 1-2 tbsp granulated sugar over the top (you don’t want too much, but you don’t want too little either). Heat with a blowtorch until the sugar starts to bubble and darken, moving the flame around so no one spot gets too heated up and burns. Make one pass around each ramekin and then repeat to make sure all the sugar topping is caramelized. Serve immediately.

Note: Serves 8.



Original Recipe: pineappleandcoconut