Fresh Berry Creme Brulee

By shauna

Ingredients

• 1 C. Each Fresh Raspberries & Blueberries
• 3 C. Whipping Cream
• 1 Vanilla Bean
• 1 tsp. Finely Grated Lemon Zest
• 10 Lg. Egg Yolks
• 1/2 C. Sugar, plus extra for the brulee
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

Preparation

Step 1

Sprinkle raspberries & blueberries into 8, flat 4 oz. oven-proof dishes. Split vanilla bean in half & scrape seeds. Heat cream on med-low with scraped seeds & vanilla bean pod & the lemon zest. Heat cream for approx. 5 min, watching so it doesn't boil over. Bring a second pot filled with an inch of water to a gentle simmer. In a metal bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar & lemon juice together. Place bowl on top of pot of simmering water & whisk egg mixture till it has doubled in volume & is a pale, buttery color; approx. 3-4 min. Remove bowl from pot of water. While whisking, slowly pour heated cream into whipped egg mixture & return entire mixture to pot, stirring with a wooden spoon over med heat till custard thickly coats back of a spoon; approx. 4 min. Pour custard through a strainer & then pour it slowly over berries, stirring berries slightly to ensure they are fully coated & covered. Cool custards for 15 min, then chill, uncovered, till set; at least 4 hrs. To serve, sprinkle each custard with a thin layer of sugar. Carefully ignite a kitchen butane torch & caramelize sugar by moving torch over custard about an inch or two away from it. Sprinkle another thin layer of sugar over first layer & torch it, repeating another 2 times, or till desired caramel layer is achieved. Serve immediately.