Foodies Anonymous

I like to make these for special occasions. The custard is so rich and creamy, and the recipe is so simple, that you almost feel guilty when your guests shower you with praise!

Serves 6

2 cups heavy whipping cream*

2 tablespoons sugar

3 1/2 oz. Mexican chocolate**, finely chopped

5 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons sugar

For the Caramel Crust

2 tablespoons sugar

6 4-5 oz. ramekins

1. Preheat oven to 300F

2. Heat cream and 2 tbsp sugar, but do not boil. (So don’t walk away from the stove, because cleaning burnt cream from your stove sucks.) Remove from heat.

3. Add chocolate and whisk until it is completely dissolved.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla and 2 tbsp sugar, then slowly add in the cream mixture while whisking constantly. (Take your time here. If you pour it all in at once, you might turn those yolks into scrambled eggs. Eww.)

5. Place the ramekins in a pan (13 x 9 should work), and divide the custard into the ramekins. Pour boiling water into the pan until it reaches halfway up the ramekins. (I forgot to tell you do this earlier. Sorry. Hopefully you read this ahead of time and got that water on the stove.) Bake for 40 minutes.

6. Remove ramekins from water bath and let the custards cool. Chill 4 – 6 hours, or overnight.

7. Just before service, sprinkle the remaining sugar, covering the custards. Caramelize the sugar with your trusty culinary torch. If you want to score bonus points with your guests, do this part in front of everyone, holding the custard in one hand, and the torch in the other. You’ll look like a real badass as you set fire to the dessert.

If you don’t have a torch (and you should really invest in one or ask for one for your birthday, because they’re so handy and give you an excuse to make creme brulee more often), you can caramelize the sugar under your broiler. Put the rack as close to the heating element as possible and cook until the sugar melts. But then you’ll have to return the ramekins back to the fridge for another hour or two to set the custards.

Serve immediately.

* If you can find it, try manufacturing cream instead. It has a higher percentage of fat than heavy cream, and creates a richer custard. Check Smart & Final for cartons.

** There are two common brands of Mexican chocolate found in supermarkets: Ibarra and Abuelita. If you use the latter brand, you may want to reduce the sugar a little for the custard because it tastes a bit sweeter.

Enjoy!