Creme Brûlée

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Heat the 4 cups of water in a kettle until hot, but not boiling - turn off the heat.

Place the 6 egg yolks in a bowl

Add 6 tablespoons of the sugar (the other 6 tablespoons will be for the brûlée top later)

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until well blended

Get out your vanilla bean - I strongly recommend a real vanilla bean for this recipe - it adds a rich, wonderful flavor to the creme brûlée. You should be able to find one at your local grocery store in the spice aisle. f you can't find one, use 1 teaspoon genuine vanilla extract

Using a sharp knife, cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise

Using the tip of your sharp knife, scrape the seeds from the pod

Add the vanilla seeds to the bowl

Gradually add the 1.5 cups of heavy cream to the egg and sugar mixture

Whisk the mixture to make sure it's well blended

Place the ramekins or cups in a 9x13 pan. I love to use my Fiesta ware coffee cups in this recipe - they're fun and add a splash of color to the table

Divide the custard mixture evenly among the 6 cups or ramekins

Add enough hot water to the pan to come about half-way up the sides of the cups

Bake until the custard is set - it will jiggle slightly, look cooked and smell lovely - between 30 and 40 minutes

Remove the cups from the hot pan and set aside to cool completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight, if you are making them ahead

Now for the fun part! Place 1 tablespoon of sugar on top of each custard. Using a kitchen torch (or your oven's broiler) toast the sugar until it begins to get brown and bubbly (hence the title brûlée!)

Let the top cool - it should be hard and crunchy, but not burnt

Serve this decadent, beautiful dessert immediately or refrigerate until you're ready. It makes a fabulous Valentine's day treat for someone you love.