Bake 52: Crème Brûlée

 There are some desserts that don't live up to the hype.  Everyone makes a big deal about it and then you taste it and it's eh.  Maybe people have hyped them up too much and you were expecting fireworks and rainbows, who knows.   Crème Brûlée isn't one of those desserts.  Everyone makes a big deal about it because it's a big deal.  It completely lives up to the hype.  There are fireworks and rainbows when you eat it and there wasn't a speck of chocolate in sight.  I was dreaming of putting some Nutella on top with these strawberries, but after taking a bite, I really couldn't remember who I was let alone what Nutella was.

The weird thing about it is it's not that hard to make and it doesn't require many ingredients (4).  The hardest part is having the tools.   Ramekins and a torch (and a roasting pan to bake them in).  And did I mention you get to use a torch?  Yeah, best dessert ever (and it's gluten free!).  If you don't have a torch and you don't think it would be super awesome to buy one, there are some things you can do to get around it.  Valerie was going to make hers without so you can check out her blog to see what she did.  One of my cookbooks also talks about heating the sugar in a saucepan and when it starts to turn golden brown, pour over the custard.  I kind of want to try that sometime just for fun.  I have made this dessert once for Thanksgiving dinner about 8 years ago and I am sad that I forgot how much I loved it, but don't worry, it all came screaming back to me. 

I halved the recipe for a few reasons, it's hard for me to use 10 eggs in anything, (but this might be an exception in the future) there are only 4 of us so 4 was perfect, I only had 4 ramekins and I don't have a roasting pan big enough to fit more than 4 ramekins.   And while I was happy to buy 4 ramekins and a torch for the recipe, it seemed excessive to buy 8 and a giant roasting pan.  It seemed halving was a good option.  I will be glad later when I haven't eaten four by myself.

 Ready to bake

Ready to torch

Ready to eat!!

 Jen was our host this week and it really was a great pick (she has the recipe posted HERE).  Not only was it delicious, it also gave me an excuse to invest in a mini-flamethrower (or laser, as Calvin likes to call it).  If you haven't made it, you really should.  You'll be surprised how quickly it comes together and how amazing it really is.