Crème Brûlée
Double this recipe to serve 4 people.
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise & scraped
1/4 cup air-dried light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 250°F. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with half the sugar. In a small saucepan, warm the cream with the vanilla scrapings and the remaining granulated sugar until steaming. Gradually whisk the hot cream into the egg yolks until blended. Strain the custard and pour into 5-ounce ramekins or shallow gratin dishes.

Set the ramekins in a small baking dish and add enough hot top water to the dish to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until just set. Let cool in the water bath for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat the broiler. Sift a then even layer of the air-dried brown sugar over each custard. Broil 1 ramekin at a time as close a possible to the heat source, until the sugar melts, forming a caramelized crust. Serve immediately.