Two Frugal Chicks

1/2 vanilla bean, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces (or 1 tsp. vanilla extract)

2 T. sugar

1 C. heavy cream

1 C. half-and-half

3 egg yolks

1 egg

1/4 C. sugar

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Pulverize vanilla bean and 2 T. sugar in a coffee grinder. (If using vanilla extract instead of the vanilla bean, skip this step).  Warm the cream, half-and-half and vanilla sugar (or extract and the 2 T. sugar) in a saucepan over medium heat just until it almost boils, then remove from heat.  Whisk egg yolks, egg, 1/4 C. sugar in a mixing bowl for 3-4 minutes till they become sunny yellow.  Slowly whisk hot cream mixture into eggs to temper.  Strain the egg mixture into a measuring cup with a pour spout and divide among the six ramekins.  Arrange dishes in a rimmed baking pan.  Add enough hot water to the pan to come up half way on the sides of the ramekins.  Bake until set, 35-45 minutes; don’t overcook or let brown.  Remove ramekins from the baking pan and cool.  Sprinkle 1 T. superfine sugar on the top of each ramekin, and using a kitchen torch, melt the sugar until it turns a light golden brown.  Let the brulees sit for a few minutes so the topping hardens. – Makes six 4-oz brulees.

*Disclaimer:  I don’t own a kitchen torch (yet) so I had to use my husband’s shop torch which just about blew the sugar off before it could melt.  Your brulees should look much prettier than the one I pictured.