Giving Creme Brulee Another Try

During a cooking club meeting in Ann Arbor, we once tried making some kind of Strawberry Banana Creme Brulee. I had received a creme brulee set for Christmas and was excited to try out that torch. As it turned out, I didn't really like how they tasted at all! That recipe got a big X in my cookbook and I just sorta figured "I must hate creme brulee."

Then when I was making the tiramisu, I realized that eggs in a custard-like setting can be quite tasty, and suddenly I wondered what had gone wrong with my creme brulees of the past? Even in a fancy restaurant, I hadn't liked it much.. but it just didn't make sense. So I decided that "this time it will be good, and not eggy" and got out the ole creme brulee set for another try. There was a recipe on the box, which was pretty easy and fast to whip up - and I had all the ingredients.

You know - they actually turned out delish! I still have trouble caramelizing the tops with a torch without either scorching or leaving some sugar granules, but all in all, this was a fun dessert to make and the custard was creamy and sweet, not eggy at all. Yum!


Creme Brulee
(from package of my Creme Brulee set from BBB)

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup sugar
2 extra large or jumbo egg yolks (I used 3 large and it worked fine)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 300F. Prepare some boiling water and set aside.


In a saucepan, stir together the cream and 2 T. of sugar. Cook over medium heat until bubbles appear around the edge, for 5-6 minutes.

Beat egg yolks with vanilla until light and smooth. Pour hot cream mixture into egg mixture just a little at a time, wisking the whole time. Beat continuously until blended. Strain into another bowl through a fine seive.


Pour into four 4oz ramekins. Put ramekins into a baking dish. Carefully pour boiling water into the baking dish until it is halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover (I think I forgot this part) loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes or until set.

Chill for 2-3 hours.

Sprinkle sugar (I recommend using less than the full 1/3 cup) evenly on the top of the chilled ramekins. Fire up your torch and make circling motions to melt the sugar into a golden brown color, and then that will cool quickly and harden to make a crunchy top. Serve with your favorite fresh fruits or other toppings. This was really tasty!