Voila!...French Inspiration

Since it's been so dang hot here, like many places, we've been cooking inside ~ the kitchen, to be exact! ... and NOT cooking ourselves outside! I also cleaned out the butler's pantry and went through some favorite cook books. I own one French cookbook and it's my favorite {and NOT because it's my only!}. Ina Garten's "Barefoot in Paris"

 And the one recipe I've made over and over is the Creme Brulee ... it has come out excellent every time and is simple to make. Do yourself and family a favor and try it ... you're not going to be disappointed.

 Ingredients

• 1 extra-large egg
• 4 extra-large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for each serving
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon orange liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of the sugar together on low speed until just combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in a small saucepan until it's very hot to the touch but not boiled. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Add the vanilla and orange liqueur and pour into 6 to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.

Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm.
To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar carmelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.

 Topped with fresh berries ... VOILA! and totally yummy !!

xo

Jill {Gypsy Brocante}