Creme Brulee

This is always a crowd pleasing dessert.  It's been a while since we have made it, but I saw a post from a while back that reminded me how much we love this.  I think we will have to make it again this weekend.

makes: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp good vanilla extract
• 8 tsp fine raw sugar or granulated sugar for caramelizing

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 300°. Keep a pot of hot water nearby.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, combine cream and sugar and cook, stirring frequently until steam rises, approx. 4-5 minutes.
• In a bowl, beat egg yolks and vanilla until blended. Gradually pour hot cream into yolks, stirring constantly.
• Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, divide among four 7-ounce ramekins.
• Line a 3" deep baking pan with a clean kitchen towel, place ramekins in pan, and add hot water to fill pan halfway up the side of the ramekins. Cover loosely with foil.
• Bake until set, 30-35 minutes, until the centers of the custards shake gently when the pan is shifted.
• Remove the pan from the oven and allow the ramekins to cool slightly.
• Remove the ramekins from the pan, cool to room temperature, then chill thoroughly 3 hours or overnight.
• Just before serving, sprinkle the custards with 2 tsp. Sugar and caramelize the topping with a kitchen torch, or place the ramekins under a broiler, 2-3 inches from the heat source for 3-4 minutes.