SXSW is finally over. It feels like it’s been going on for months, maybe because I started working on it back in February. This year was a particularly weird festival, with what felt like way more crowds than usual, that horrible crash on Wednesday night, nightmare train rides, and a general sense of things being out of control.
Naturally, my defense mechanism was to hide out at home as much as possible and do nest-y things like read a soapy novel, fold laundry, and try a new kitchen project. That’s where the creme brûlée comes in, thanks to Baked Sunday Mornings.
I love creme brûlée. We go have dim sum once every few months and I always choose this French custard from the dessert cart. If it’s an option on the dessert menu when the husband and I are dining out, I’ll order it. It’s a special-occasion treat for me, to be sure. And that’s why it was so surprising to me that it was so easy to make. It was also my first time using a kitchen torch, which was pretty fun, although I wish I’d caramelized the tops to order instead of all at once so that I could get a bit more practice with it. Some of the sugar came out a bit more torched than I would have liked (although not scorched).
However, ease of preparation will probably not entice me to make this at home very often. I made five portions instead of four, and as I was eating mine, I realized that I was eating (and enjoying greatly) a half-cup of heavy whipping cream. The smaller portions made for a whopping 13-point dessert; if I’d divvied it into four portions, the Weight Watchers points value would have been 18 (!!!!), making this a serious splurge indeed. That said, this recipe was DELICIOUS, and I really loved seeing the flecks of vanilla bean in there. (And it was nice to use one of the vanilla beans I’ve had sitting in the pantry for an age.)
That said, sometimes you need to indulge in some dessert therapy, or at the very least, demystify a special treat. And now I’m curious as to whether I could develop a low-fat creme brûlée (although what would be the point of that?).
Check out what the other bakers had to say about this recipe.
My Rubberbandball 
SandraM
/ March 16, 2014Your crème brulee looks luscious. It is not my go to dessert, but I did enjoy making it and trying to caramelize the top (though there was a lot of burning involved).
bourbonnatrix
/ March 16, 2014I too made smaller portions (8)! Can’t imagine having a half cup of cream (plus eggs, and sugar!) in one sitting! Happy you got to make something you really enjoy! Looks delicious!
Dafna | Stellina Sweets
/ March 18, 2014Nice job! Yes, the kitchen torch is so much fun. I did five as well, though I didn’t really put much thought into breaking down the nutritional elements… *smacks forehead* 😉
Byn
/ March 23, 2014I made mine smaller as well…this is a serious indulgence!