Crème Brûlée

Are you making dessert for Valentine's Day this weekend? Oh wait, Valentine's Day came and left. See? I can't think of more excuses to make this decadent dessert. 

Crème brûlée was the reason why I didn't get to taste new things in French restaurants until I learned how to make it myself. 

Crème brûlée is not a simple custard with burnt sugar on top, it's way more than that. Just imagine a velvety custard perfumed with vanilla bean, contrasting with a layer of hard caramel. And how about that crackling sound that comes from breaking the caramel with the spoon? 

Those are the exact reasons why I fell in love with this dessert.

The addition of fresh fruit and mint is a plus. Not only does it make this dessert beautiful but also adds lots of flavors and additional texture.

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream

5 eggs yolks

1 vanilla pod, split and scraped

zest of one lemon

1/3 cup sugar plus more

for finishing

Preheat the oven to 300 F. Place the half of the sugar, heavy cream and vanilla pod in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, combine the rest of the sugar, egg yolks and lemon zest in a mixing bowl and whisk until the mixture is pale yellow. Temper the hot cream in to the egg mixture, be careful not to scramble the eggs, do it slowly and whisking constantly, whisk until well combine.  Ladle into ramekins and place in a roasting pan, add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake for  Bake for 40 minutes or until the mixture is set, the center should still jiggles slightly when shaken. Let them come to room temperature then refrigerate them for a couple of hours. When ready to serve, Sprinkle the top with sugar and caramelize using a blowtorch. Top with fresh fruit and mint.