One of my all time favorite desserts is Crème Brûlée. Afterall, how can you go wrong with sugar, crème, vanilla and eggs in any combination? But Crème Brûlée is special. When Nancy and I get down to Nags Head, a must visit stop is at Basnights Lone Cedar Restaurant for a fried seafood platter and Crème Brûlée for dessert. Yumm!!
I have made Crème Brûlée from scratch on several occasions, and with good results. But a few years back I was in World Market and saw a Crème Brûlée mix in a package. It was made by Dr. Oetker. I bought a couple packs and tried the mix one night for company. It was as good as a Brûlée from scratch.
Obviously a French concoction, Crème Brûlée, sometimes called Burnt Cream, is a sinfully rich custard base topped with a crust of caramel. Crème Brûlée is generally served in vanilla flavor, but many options are available.
When preparing, the secret is not to scorch the custard. With the Dr. Oetker mix, it’s a fairly easy process and takes about 15 minutes.
Easy Crème Brûlée
1 box Dr. Oetker Crème Brûlée dessert mix
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
Simply add a packet of mix to one cup of milk and one cup of heavy cream. Over medium high heat and stirring constantly with a whisk, bring the custard to a gentle boil, then turn back to simmer and continue to stir for one minute. Next, pour the custard in small bowls that can be put in the oven under the broiler. Allow the custard to sit at room temperature for an hour, to set up. Then, put them in refrigerator for later use or prepare then right way by sprinkling a separate pack of the caramel (sugar) mixture) on top of the custard and use a torch or the broiler to brown. I actually have a Crème Brûlée torch, but it’s just as easy to use the oven.
Serve immediately and you will get rave reviews.