Crème brûlée

I made crème brûlée! Exciting that I accomplished this after one failed attempt, where I ran out of heavy cream and instead substituted evaporated milk + whole milk. BIG MISTAKE! I thought that the high fat content of evaporated milk + whole milk would make the crème brûlée set, but I was wrong- it looked and tasted like eggnog. The lesson learned: heavy cream sets the crème brûlée. 

Given I did not have a kitchen torch, I had no other choice other than to use the broil function of my oven. I was afraid of broiling the crème brûlée, thinking it could overbroil and start a fire. But I really wanted to make a legit crème brûlée, so I ended up broiling it to create a nice sugary crust on top. The end result was fantastic.

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 tsp vanilla

3 egg yolks (separate the eggs)

3 tbsp sugar (for the crème brûlée)

1/2 tbsp sugar (for each crème brûlée ramekin)

How to make:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Medium-low heat the cream and vanilla until simmering (not boiling because you don't want to cook the eggs later when you mix it in!)

3. Whip the egg yolks with the 3 tbsp sugar.

4. Strain the cream.

5. Add the cream while whipping the egg yolks on low setting.

6. Prepare hot water bath (fill the pan halfway with water) and place ramekins.

7. Bake for 30 minutes.

8. Refrigerate.

9. Take out the cooled crème brûlée and lightly spread 1/2 tbsp of granulated sugar on top of each ramekin. Place ramekins on a cookie sheet or baking pan.

10. Broil on high setting for about 4-5 minutes. (I put the pan of ramekins on the second to top oven rack). Watch the oven carefully to avoid overheating. Do not leave the oven unattended.