White chocolate and cinnamon crème brulée

I have a new toy and, according to my husband, it has turned me into a very dangerous woman. :)

One of my bosses gave me a kitchen torch as a Christmas gift after his wife read my eggnog brûlée post – how lovely is that?

I thought that using my favorite spice – which happens to be very Christmassy as well – would be a great way to use my gift for the first time; to be on the safe side, I chose a recipe by Donna Hay.

White chocolate and cinnamon crème brulée
from Donna Hay magazine

1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
¾ cup (180ml) milk
1 cinnamon stick
4 egg yolks
¼ cup + ½ tablespoon (56g) caster sugar
85g white chocolate, melted
4 tablespoons caster sugar, extra

Place the cream, milk and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan over low heat and cook gently until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and set aside for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F; reheat the cream mixture.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until thick and pale. Pour the warm cream mixture over the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Return to the pan and stir over low heat until the custard is thick and coats the back of a spoon (6-8 minutes). Remove from the heat and stir the custard into the melted chocolate. Pour the mixture through a sieve into four ½-cup (120ml) capacity ovenproof ramekins and place in a deep baking dish. Pour enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until just set. Remove from the oven, let cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or until set.

Sprinkle each brûlée with one tablespoon of extra sugar. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar topping.

Serves 4