Creme Brulee

Relatively easy creme brulee recipe

Ingredients:
1 qt heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, halved and scraped
6 ounces white sugar (3/4 c) - divided in half
10 egg yolks
6 tbsp brown sugar
ramekins, cooking torch

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Boil cream, split/scraped vanilla bean and half of the white sugar together - watch closely because it will boil over if unattended!
Mix yolks and other half of white sugar with whisk, whisking until foamy and pale
Remove the vanilla bean from the pot
Slowly and constantly whisk in boiling cream mixture to yolk mixture
Put ramekins in a deep baking dish, fill baking dish with water until it comes halfway up sides of ramekins
Pour the custard evenly into the ramekins, bake for about 45 minutes until tops are set but jiggly
Let cool to room temperature (or cover with plastic in fridge overnight)
Sprinkle brown sugar on each custard, carmelize with cooking torch

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:

6-8 red potatoes
2 tsp olive oil
.5c onion
1 1/4c broth
3 tbsp flour
2 c milk (or half-half)
1/4c sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
5 strips bacon
1/2c cheddar cheese
4 green onions

Directions:

- Pierce potatoes with fork, microwave on high 13 minutes, halve, cool
- Heat oil in saucepan, sautee onions 4 minutes
- Combine flour and 1/2c of the milk, add into pot
- Add the remaining (1 1/2c) milk
- Bring to boil, stir often
- Remove from heat, add in sour cream, salt, pepper
- Cook bacon on paper towel in microwave 4 minutes, crumble
- Remove potato skins, mash potato into soup
- Top with green onions, cheese, bacon

Berry Custard

Ingredients:

1 tsp melted butter
1 c raspberries
4 sliced fresh peaches
.5c flour
2/3c sugar
1 1/4c milk or half-half
3 eggs
.5 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Directions:

Arrange peaches and raspberries in 2-quart baking dish
Whisk all other ingredients together for 2 minutes, pour over fruit
Bake at 350 for at least 50 minutes until puffed with golden brown edges