Crème Brûlée with Earl Grey Misto Reduction

For the custard:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

In a saucepan, heat cream over medium high heat until steaming. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Pour the hot cream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly until combined. Whisk in the vanilla.

Grab two cake pans, put 4 ramekins in each pan and fill with boiling water; the water should come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Divide mixture between the 8 ramekins, filling 3/4 full.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the edges are set, but the center still jiggles. Remove to a wire rack and let cool. Once completely cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours until cold.

For the Earl Grey Misto reduction:

Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium high heat, until steaming. Whisk in the sugar and vanilla and bring to a simmer. Add tea bags and let steep for 8-10 minutes. Remove the tea bags and discard. Continue simmering the cream mixture for another 15-20 minutes until thickened. Pour through a fine mesh sieve and set aside.

Finishing the custards:

Sprinkle each of the custards with about 1 teaspoon of sugar, rotating the custards around so the sugar coats the entire surface. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar, just until it is golden brown. Make sure to do this within an hour or two of serving to make sure the crust is nice and crunchy when served.

Top with a dollop of the Earl Grey Misto reduction and a couple of raspberries for garnish (mint would be nice too!).