9 egg
yolks
3/4 cup superfine white sugar plus 6 tablespoons
1 quart heavy cream
1 vanilla bean
Preheat
oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together egg yolks and
sugar with a whisk
until the mixture is pale yellow and thick.
Pour
cream into a medium saucepan over low heat. Using a paring knife, split
the vanilla bean down the middle,
scrape out the seeds and add them to saucepan. Bring cream to a brief
simmer, do not boil or it will overflow.
Remove from heat and temper the yolks by gradually whisking the hot
vanilla cream into yolk and sugar mixture.
Do not add hot cream too quickly or the eggs will cook.
Divide
custard into 6 (6-ounce) ramekins, about 3/4 full. Place ramekins in a
roasting pan and fill pan with
enough water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until
barely set around the edges,
about 40 minutes. You may want to cover loosely with foil to prevent
browning. Remove from oven
and cool to room temperature. Transfer the ramekins to the refrigerator
and chill for 2 hours.
Sprinkle
1 tablespoon of sugar on top of each chilled custard. Hold a kitchen
torch 2 inches above surface to brown
the sugar and form a crust. Garnish with cookies and fresh fruit. Serve
at once.
Variation:
Before dividing into ramekins: add 3 ounces of shaved dark chocolate
for chocolate creme brulee;
add 4 slices of crystallized ginger for ginger creme brulee; add 3
slices of orange peel for orange creme brulee.
Let steep 20 minutes to infuse the flavor. Strain out the ginger and
orange peel before baking.