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Bourbon Caramel Crème Brûlée

Source of Recipe

From "The Bourbon Country Cookbook" by David Danielson


Recipe Introduction

"With its decadently rich, vanilla-flavored custard topped with a delicate shell of caramel, there's something incredibly comforting about crème brûlée. We love adding the contrasting mellow flavor of bourbon to our version. If you don't have a butane torch at home, you can use your broiler. But it's more fun to torch!"

List of Ingredients

◦  1 quart heavy whipping cream
◦  3 Tbsp bourbon
◦  2 tsp pure vanilla extract
◦  2 Tbsp water
◦  1½ cups sugar, divided
◦  6 large egg yolks, room temperature
◦  Pinch kosher salt


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 300° F.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream, bourbon, and vanilla to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, remove the mixture from the heat.

In a separate saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the water and ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons of the sugar to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. When the mixture reaches a boil, stop stirring and cook for about 5 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture turns a deep amber color. At that point, remove the pan from the heat and slowly stir in the cream mixture. Use caution, as the mixture will bubble. Return the pan to medium heat and cook, stirring often, for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the sugar until the yolks just begin to lighten in color. Continue whisking and slowly add the cream and caramel mixture.

Divide the custard among eight 6-ounce ramekins. Place the ramekins in a large roasting pan, and fill the pan with enough cold water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until the centers of the custards are just set. Remove from the oven and let them cool to room temperature, then refrigerate, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours.

Sprinkle the tops with about ½ tablespoon of the remaining sugar each. Using a propane torch or broiler, carefully caramelize the top of each custard. Allow the custards to set for 2 minutes. Serve immediately.


Makes 8 servings