Crème Brûlée

By ldelmas

Ingredients

• 6 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup All Natural SomerSweet or sugar
• 21/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Lightly butter eight 3-ounce ramekins or heatproof custard cups.

Lightly whisk the egg yolks with 1/4 cup All Natural SomerSweet in a mixing bowl until frothy.

Heat the cream ­in a small saucepan until just scalded. Whisk the hot cream into the egg mixture. Add the scrapings from the inside of the vanilla bean.

Pour the custard into the ramekins. Place the ramekins in a roasting pan. At the oven door, add hot water to the bottom of the pan until the water comes half-way up the sides of the ramekins. (This is a water bath, which helps keep the custard from curdling, cracking, or breaking.) Bake until the custard starts to set up, about 20 minutes. Remove the r­amekins from the water bath. Cover with waxed paper and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

­When ready to serve, sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup SomerSweet evenly over the tops of the custards. To caramelize the tops, use a kitchen propane torch or place the ramekins under a hot broiler, 3 inches from the heat, until the SomerSweet browns.
Serves 8­­