Which dessert would you choose?

Whenever I have dessert at a restaurant, I see it as a real treat, an opportunity to reward myself for doing... well, anything really.

I like the way desserts come out to your table as a nice, tidy plate of beautiful food, glowing the the promise of a sweet treat.

And then you take the first bite your dessert: whether it was an indulgent chocolate dish, a sweet / tart combination of a citrus tart, or the creamy silkiness of a creme brulee. The first bite is always d'lish.

I normally choose something that I don't make at home. If  creme brulee or lemon tart features on the dessert menu, it immediately shoots up to the top of my list. There's something exciting about having a great creme brulee. Maybe it's just because it has a great name?

When it comes to cooking something new, I often think "how hard can it be?". So the other day, when I felt like a creme brulee, with its rich, custardy, creamy goodness and the crunch of the brulee on top, I thought that I would give it a go. After all, "how hard can it be?"

Creme brulee is a rich dessert, considering the amount of cream that is used. I used espresso cups instead of the traditional ramekins - this meant that I could get more servings out of the recipe and enjoy this lovely dessert in small quantities, but often!

Which dessert do you always order when dining in a restaurant? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Creme Brulee

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees celcius. In a medium sized pot, heat the cream, milk, vanilla bean and salt over a moderate heat, stirring constantly, until almost boiling.
2. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together. Take out the vanilla bean and slowly add the hot cream mixture, stirring gently after each addition.
3. Pour the mixture through a sieve to remove any lumps and pour into the ramekins or espresso cups until almost full.
4. Put the ramekins or espresso cups a roasting pan and fill the pan with hot water until about half way up the sides of the ramekins.
5. Loosely cover with tin foil and bake for 30-45 minutes or until the creme brulee is a still a little wobbly in the middle.
6. Take the creme brulees out of the pan and allow to cool completely. Once cool, either refrigerate until needed (will keep for up to three days) or brulee the top.
7. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of caster sugar over the top of each ramekin and either place under a very hot grill, close to the element for 2-3 minutes until the sugar melts and it starts to brown, or brown with a kitchen blow torch.
8. The caramelised sugar will harden to form a crisp layer on top of the creme brulees. Serve immediately.

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