Cream Brulee With Strawberries

Total Time: 10 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 inch vanilla beans or 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 3 cups strawberries, washed and hulled (optional)

Recipe

• 1 heat cream with vanilla bean or vanilla in heavy saucepan over low heat. beat eggs and yolks adding white sugar gradually; beat until light and thick. slowly pour cream into egg mixture, mixing well.
• 2 return mixture to heavy sauce pan and cook on low heat, stirring with wooden spoon until mixture coats back of spoon. do not boil. remove vanilla bean.
• 3 pour into shallow 1 ½ quart casserole or individual porcelain ramekins (ovenproof), and cool to room temperature. cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• 4 at serving time, sieve brown sugar over top, covering custard completely (to about 1/4-inch thickness). place casserole in pan of crushed ice and place under hot broiler until sugar melts and caramelizes. this may take less than a minute, so watch constantly.
• 5 chill about 5 minutes in refrigerator to harden sugar crust. to serve, crack crust with back of serving spoon and spoon over bowls of chilled strawberries.
• 6 poached pears with crème brulee variation: 6 medium winter pears, 1 1/3 cups sugar, 1/4 cup lemon juice.
• 7 pare pears, leaving stems on. in 5-quart saucepan, mix 2 cups of water with sugar and lemon juice. bring to boil, stirring to dissolve sugar.
• 8 place pears on their side in syrup. simmer, covered, 15 minutes. turn pears, simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes longer. refrigerate overnight in syrup.
• 9 to serve, place pears in individual serving dishes. at table, spoon crème brulee over top of pears.
• 10 the total woman cookbook marabel morgan.