It's National Creme Brulee Day

It's not often that I have creme brulee, but I sure know how to scarf some down when I do.

For those not in the know, creme brulee is a dessert that consists of a rich custard base that is topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel and served at room temperature.

In celebration of its day, here's a recipe for Creme Brulee (found at allrecipes).

Ingredients:

6 egg yolks
6 tablespoons white sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Beat egg yolks, 4 tablespoons white sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until thick and creamy. Pour cream into a saucepan and stir over low heat until it almost comes to boil. Remove the cream from heat immediately. Stir cream into the egg yolk mixture; beat until combined. Pour cream mixture into the top pan of a double boiler. Stir over simmering water until mixture lightly coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Remove mixture from heat immediately and pour into a shallow heat-proof dish. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to broil. In a small bowl combine remaining 2 tablespoons white sugar and brown sugar. Sift this mixture evenly over custard. Place dish under broiler until sugar melts, about 2 minutes. Watch carefully so as not to burn. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate until custard is set again.