Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 egg yolks
You will need a little sugar left over for the topping, about 1 teaspoon per ramekin.
Directions:
1. Heat cream slowly in a saucepan on medium and add vanilla extract. If you desire, this is where you would also add a little additional flavoring.
2. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl until smooth and add the sugar. Mix well.
3. Once the cream starts to steam, take a cup of the creme and quickly beat it into the egg/sugar mixture. This will ensure nothing curdles. Then pour the egg into the cream, removing from the heat. Mix well.
4. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Pour the cream into 4 ramekins equally and place the ramekins in a glass baking dish. Fill the baking dish with boiling water until it's halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 60 minutes, checking to make sure the oven doesn't brown the tops. Remove from the oven and set out to cool until room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
5. When ready to serve, sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar over the ramekin and spread evenly. If you have a hand torch, hold it 4-5 inches from the sugar and move in smooth motions until the sugar is as melted as you'd like. If you don't have a torch, put the ramekins in the oven with the broiler, keeping an eye on them so they don't burn (about 4-6 minutes).
I served with:
Blackberries and a couple of leaves of mint
Jess' Grade: A+
This has wow'd many people since I've started to cook this. If you are patient enough to keep with the timing, it turns out superbly. I will not share my tweaking of ingredients (I do still have to have the best, you know!) but you can make this dish your own with a little creativity. Happy cooking!
