Creme Brulee

Just got home from doing a welcome dessert event at my church, the Vineyard in Duluth, MN. I served a variety of desserts and will eventually post the recipes for them as we go along but tonight I'll start with Creme Brulee. Jake had some and really liked it so I told him I'd post the recipe tonight; here we go.
1 Qt Heavy cream (this recipe makes 10 6oz. ramekins)
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract ( the real stuff)
1 pinch of salt
12 Large egg yolks
10 teaspoons of sugar-in-the-raw or regular granulated sugar


Preheat the oven to 300 degrees with a rack in the center of the oven.
Pour 1/2 the cream into a medium saucepan along with the sugar, vanilla and salt. Over medium heat, bring up to almost simmering, whisking the mixture to dissolve the sugar. remove from the heat and pour the remaining cream into the mixture to cool it down a bit. Set aside and separate the egg yolks from the whites and discard the whites or save for another use. place them in a large bowl and whisk them until they are blended and smooth. Slowly pour a little of the cream mixture into the yolks, whisking continuously to temper the yolks so they don't scramble from the hot liquid. whisk in the remaining cream mixture until well combined. Place 10 6oz. In the bottom of a roasting pan or 9x12 cakepan, place a folded kitchen dishtowel and set the 10 6oz. ramekins in the pan on top of the towel. Pour the cream mixture into the ramekins, dividing it evenly among them. Bring 2 qts of water to a boil in a teapot; place the roasting pan in the oven and then carefully pour the water around the ramekins to bring the level of water about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Carefully slide the pan all the way into the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the custards are set around the edges but still a bit jiggly in the centers. I you have an instant-read thermometer they should reach 175 degrees in the center (Don't be concerned that they are still jiggly; they will set as they cool). To remove them from the water bath, wrap rubber bands around the ends of a pair of tongs and that will act as a non-slip help for holding the hot ramekins while moving them to a cooling rack. Cool for two hours or so then cover in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to finish setting the custard. To serve, sprinkle about 1 tespoon of sugar-in-the-raw over the top of each one and flame it using a propane torch until the sugar bubbles and turns a deep amber color. Place them back in the refrigerator to harden the crust and serve within about 45 mins to an hour.
The un-flamed custards will keep, if covered with plastic wrap,. for a few days in the refrigerator.
Give it a go!, it's awesome.
Tim