Vanilla Bean Creme Brûlée is rich, creamy and smooth with the perfect crunch!  This classic dessert is served in many restaurants, but is even better made in your own home!   

Valentines Day is around the corner and there is one thing I love about this day, cooking at home with my kids and my husband!  To spoil the ones you love makes this day super fun!  It is not about the fancy restaurants and fancy clothes for us, it is just an extra day to say I Love You just a little bit more!

Creme Brûlée is one of those desserts that you don't want to miss out on when its on a menu at your favorite restaurant, but I can promise you this…you can make it in your own kitchen!  There are a few things you need to get it right, but you will love this recipe and even more than the creme brûlée at your favorite restaurant!

The Ingredients
Vanilla Bean Creme Brûlée is made up of only a few ingredients.  Heavy cream, egg yolks, granulated sugar and vanilla bean. These four ingredients are what make the custard texture once it bakes in the oven.  It is up to you if you want to use fresh vanilla bean or vanilla bean paste but you definitely want those little black speckles in your custard for a great flavor.  If you are using the whole vanilla bean, you will need to split the bean in half and then scrape out the seeds into your heavy cream.  You can simmer the cream with the whole bean and then remove it once you are ready to temper the eggs.

The Process
Tempering is a term that is used when you slowly add a hot liquid to eggs.  You don't want to scramble the eggs so you add a small amount of the hot heavy cream to the egg and sugar mixture and whisk until you gradually add all the cream.  This will insure that you don't cook the eggs and get lumps in your custard. It is still a great idea to strain your custard once you have combined all the ingredients to get the smoothest and creamiest creme brûlée out there!

Once the creme brûlée is baked and has had time to cool to room temperature you want to be sure to allow the custard to sit in the refrigerator for several hours.  The custard will become super thick and creamy and you will be thankful that you waited!

The Crack!  
This might be the most important part of a great creme brûlée.  Coat the top of the custard with an even layer of granulated sugar.  This is the fun part, brûlée or burn the sugar with a kitchen torch and you will get the perfect "crack" when you dig in.  The combination of creamy and a burnt caramel crunch is what makes creme brûlée so satisfying.

The Best Vanilla Bean Creme Brûlée

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Vanilla Bean Creme Brûlée is rich, creamy and smooth with the perfect crunch!  This classic dessert is served in many restaurants, but is even better made in your own home!   

• Author: kristen massad

Ingredients

2 Cups Heavy Cream
6 Egg Yolks
½ Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Vanilla Bean or 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste

*Granulated Sugar for topping

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and place 6 shallow ramekins on a baking sheet
Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar; set aside
Heat the heavy cream and vanilla bean together in a medium saucepan until it comes to a simmer
Remove from the heat and slowly add the heavy cream to the egg yolk mixture, whisking continuously so that the eggs don't scramble
Strain the mixture before pouring into the ramekins
Divide the custard into the ramekins, filling them to the top
Carefully fill the sheet pan with water and transfer the pan to the oven
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the edges are set but the center will slightly move
Remove the creme brûlée from the oven and allow them to cool for 30-45 minutes
Place them in the refrigerator to chill for an 1-2 hours to allow the custard to thicken
Once you are ready to serve, coat the top of the custard with granulated sugar and caramelize using a kitchen torch
Serve immediately and Enjoy!