I need to start with a dessert!

Forgive me, but I need to face this blogging adventure, like I faced my biggest fear in the kitchen... dessert!

But not any dessert, oh no! creme de la creme of all the desserts, light and creamy hidden under a crunchy layer of caramely goodness... Crème brûlée.

Yes! it is a French dessert. Yes! it tastes fancy and sophisticated. Yes! everybody believes, it must be almost impossible to make and hard to execute, without 10 years of culinary experience and a pastry sue-chef on hand. I think it is a world-wide French conspiracy, so we would all go to the restaurants and pay (sometimes a lot -.-), to try this velvety treat. So here I make it official: this dessert is EASY! 4 simple ingredients and a bit of patience, but trust me its totally worth it!

You need:

4 oven safe ramekins,

sifter,
whisk,
bowl,
sauce pan,
roasting pan or deep oven safe dish

Ingredients:
(serves 4... if u are lucky hahahaha )

2 cups heavy cream (double cream)
1/3 cup sugar + 4 teaspoons
4 egg yolks
1/2 vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

Preheat oven to 320° F (160°C ).
In a sauce pan add heavy cream and vanilla, heat it up but dont let the cream boil!
Take it off the heat just before it starts to boil, let the vanilla bean infuse into the cream (for 5-7min).
Take it out, split the bean in two and scrape the vanilla beans into the liquid.
(if u used vanilla extract just stir it good into the hot cream)

In a bowl whisk 4 egg yolks with 1/3 cup of sugar.
Whisk it gently, dont make it to creamy!
Temper your egg and sugar mixture, by adding slowly the warm cream and whisking it vigorously together.
(add first few spoons of cream, really slowly so u dont scramble the yolks!)

Strain the liquid through a sifter to make it velvety and pour into ramekins.

A very important part is to collect with a spoon all the air bubbles formed on the surface, from pouring.
The surface of the liquid must be flat, that will prevent it from burning and help create a nice, silky texture.

Now put the ramekins inside the roasing pan or oven safe dish and add warm water to the dish, max till 3/4 height of the ramekins.

This technique is called water bath (fr. bain -marie), prevents the custard from a direct heat, keeps it moist and prevents from cracking. This cooking method is perfect for cheesecakes and any kind of custard.