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Basic Creme Brulee
(recipe, Deanna Dudney)
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Ingredients
- 2 cups whipping cream
- ½ cup Splenda
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 5 egg yolks
Steps
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Combine cream, half the sugar and vanilla in a heavy saucepan and scald (bring just to a boil). Remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the rest of the sugar until slightly thickened. Slowly whisk a small amount of the cream mixture iinto the egg yolks (this will warm the egg yolks and prevent them from curdling).
- When the yolks have warmed up , whisk the yolk mixture back into the rest of the cream.
- Strain this cream mixture into four 6 oz ovenproof ramekins. Put the ramekins into an ovenproof pan and put it in the oven.
- Fill the pan ⅓ to ½ full of water. Bake until barely set, about 40 to 45 minutes (when gently shaken, the custard should jiggle but not be too loose).
- Remove ramekins from water bath, wipe bottoms and chill in refrigerator several hours to overnight.
- To serve: spread an even layer of sugar on each crreme brulee and melt the sugar carrefully with a small propane torch. Allow sugar to harden for a few minutes, then serve.
- To use a broiler instead of a torch, place ramekins in a large pan surrounded by ice (this keeps the custard from overcooking). Broil as close as possible to the heat source until the sugar melts and caramelizes, about 2 to 3 minutes. Once the sugar has hardened serve immediately.