I’m sorry to drag Hilary’s prizes out over the entire week.  Things have been crazy chez moi so I haven’t had the time to blog as much as I would like. Excuse aside, this recipe turned out fabulously.

The decision to make creme brulee actually began 19 months ago during Christmas 2008.  Every year I attend a Christmas party with all my Cousins where we attempt a rather competitive themed gift exchange . In 2008, the theme turned out to be “Useful Household Items”. This turned out to be a fairly broad theme as many of cousins supplied bottles of tequila and gin as their gifts.  In the end I ended up with a creme brulee torch and 4 little ramekins.  Being a cheap student I was a little disappointed that I didn’t end up with that bottle tequila but its seems that I’ve finally put that gift to use.

A first I was a little reluctant to attempt to make creme brulee.  To me this dessert always seems to represent the epitome of high dining.  When I called my mom to tell her that I was attempting this recipe she half-heatedly wished me good lucky and quickly moved on from the subject.  This less than inspiring phone call didn’t help quell my nerves but despite my apprehension I readied my ramekins for this tasty dessert.

In the end this recipe turned out fairly well. It wasn’t as solid as I would have liked it ( the final product more resembled a creme brulee pudding) but it still tasted amazing.

I’ve made some modifications to recipe that I used that should help with the issues I faced.  Essentially I’ve added another egg yolk and lengthened the baking time.

One thing I didn’t know about creme brulee before starting is what it looks like when its set after baking.  After some internet research I learned that it should wobble like jello in the centre but be firm on the outer edges.

I have to say that my favourite part of this recipe was definitely using the torch. I didn’t realize how quickly the sugar would brulee and how fast it would harden.  All and all a fairly successful first attempt at a difficult dessert and I will definitely make it again.

Recipe Below

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 egg yolks
• 4 teaspoons sugar

1. Preheat oven to 300 and line a large baking pan with a damp kitchen cloth
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
3. Combine cream, sugar and salt in a sauce pan.
4. Stirring constantly warm until vapour rises off the mixture
5. Meanwhile beat yolks and vanilla until smooth
6. Slowly, mix the cream mixture in to the yolks, stirring constantly
7. Pour mixture into small shallow dishes
8. Place dishes in baking pan and fill with the boiling water until half way up the side of the dishes
9. Bake for at least 40 minutes until the creme has set
10. Chill for 4-6 hours
11. Spoon remaining sugar over the four dishes and torch or oven broil until the tops are brown
12. Wait 30 seconds and enjoy