Creme Brulee Makes Everything Better

So here is the creme brulee recipe I promised.  Forgive me for the missing accent marks- I don't know how to type them in nor will I go out of my way to find out at this late hour.  Maybe in the future I'll update it with the corrections.  I took French in high school, so it does kind of bother me that the accents aren't there. -.-...

I came up with this recipe after reviewing several other recipes online.  Many, if not all, called for the use of a vanilla bean for flavoring.  I didn't really know where to get vanilla bean (can it be found in most grocery stores?) so I decided to go ahead and use vanilla extract.  =O...

Hit the jump for the madness!

For the creme brulee, you will need:

• 5 egg yolks
• 2.5 cups of heavy cream
• 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1. Bring the cream to a boil.
2. Whisk the yolks and sugar together until the mixture becomes pale yellow in color with a fluffy consistency.
3. While whisking the yolks on low speed, add the hot cream a little bit at a time.  Pouring in too much at once will give you sweet scrambled yolks. 
4. Add the vanilla and whisk to make sure all your ingredients have homogenized well.
5. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour.  This custard can be made the day before!
6. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
7. Ladle the chilled custard into ramekins.  This recipe can fill 5-6 ramekins.
8. Place the ramekins in a shallow pan or casserole dish.  Pour hot water around them (into the pan) until the water level is halfway up the sides.  This water bath will keep your custard from burning.
9. Bake for 40-45 minutes.  It will take less time if you did not fill up your ramekins too deeply.
10. The creme is ready when the center wiggles slightly.  Let the creme cool to the side for about an hour.
11. Sprinkle enough sugar on top to thinly coat the entire surface.
12. Use a torch to caramelize the sugar into a crispy shell.  
13. Let it sit for a few minutes to cool and serve.

Making creme brulee is not difficult but it is definitely a very rich dessert that should not be consumed often.  =X  To get the timing right, I made the custard the night before and baked them before dinner.  They cooled in the fridge while we ate and were ready for torching afterwards.  The flavor was light and still delicious even though I didn't use a vanilla bean.  Next time, I think I'll add a little lemon zest for some zing!