Creme Brulee with Coffee Sauce

Creme Brulee

I loved his recipe and it is fool proof...I was able to do it on my first try! After tasting this, I was not able to finish the whole serving because it was too sweet and rich for me. I ended up drizzling the top with Coffee Sauce (recipe below) and it was just the right combination of sugar and salt, bitter and sweet!

1 quart heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

1 cup vanilla sugar, divided

6 large egg yolks

2 quarts hot water

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

Place cream, vanilla bean (and its pulp) into a medium saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Coffee Sauce

1/2 c. sugar

3/4 c. water

1 1/2 Tbsp. instant espresso coffee

1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. butter

In a saucepan, heat sugar, water and 1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso. Stir until coffee is dissolved. In a small bowl, moisten 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoons cold water. Stir into the sauce mixture. Cook and be sure to stir constantly until the sauce is clear and smooth. Sauce will be thin. Blend in 1 Tablespoon of butter. Let mixture cool, then drizzle over the top of each serving.

This is an elegant dessert that you will enjoy sharing with your guests....or will you want to share?