{Monday's Menu} CREME BRULEE....Oh my!

Mr. Creme Brulee, these are my friends.

My friends MEET CREME BRULEE!!

One of my all time favorite desserts to make. EASY...oh so easy! And when you pull out the torch....well, now that's just plain fun! Have I mentioned delicious?! Well, that doesn't even begin to give it justice. It is make your eyes close good! MAKE YOUR EYES CLOSE GOOD....does it get better than that?!

Now this friend of mine isn't so easy on the ole hip-a-roonies, so play with him sparingly....or not. Whatev!

What you will need:

• 2 c. Heavy Whipping Cream
• 4 Egg Yolks
• 1/3 c. Sugar
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• A sprinkle of Brown Sugar

(GASP!)

1. Alright, first things first. Let's pour the cream and vanilla into a pot. Scald it for just a bit. You want the flavors to get good and mixed.
2. Whip those eggs yolks into a frenzy with your whisk.
3. Blanch them by adding your sugar. Keep a whippin.
4. Now when your cream is good and hot, temper your eggs (you don't want to cook them) by pouring just a bit of the cream in and whisking it all together. You want to bring the egg mixtures temperature up a bit.
5. Pour in the remainder of the cream. Whisk.
6. Pour mixture evenly into ramekins. This should fill about 5-6 ramekins.
7. Now, if you have a torch, GREAT! If you don't, grab a lighter. You want the flame to touch the top of the mixture so you can burn off all of the air bubbles. This isn't absolutely necessary, but helps keep the texture right in the cooking process.
8. Now, place your ramekins in a baking dish. Pour boiling water into the bottom of the pan (careful, don't get any in the creme brulee). The water should come half way up the ramekins.
9. Now, bake for about 35-40 min. at 325 degrees. When they are done, they will still be slightly jiggly. If they need more time, take it, but don't cook them too long.
10. Remove them from a dish and put them on a cookie sheet. Place in the fridge and chill for 4 hours.
11. After chilled, sprinkle the tops with a thin layer of brown sugar. You can use white also, I just like brown more for this.
12. TORCH! If you don't have a torch....no worries. Turn on your broiler in your oven, move rack to the highest position, make sure there is still room for the cookie sheet with the ramekins. Place it under the broiler. Watch closely. You don't want them to burn and they can quickly. It should only take a minute. You want the sugar to get crisp on the top. It is ok for it to have a few dark spots.
13. Let cool for a minute. SERVE!

Now get creative. Instead of Vanilla flavoring, what else can you think to add? Coconut? Almond? Lemon? What about adding a few berries to the cream mixture?! Oh yes, the sky is the limit! Try it out. Let me know what you came up with!