Peaches and Cream Brulee

Place the cream in a medium saucepan. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the cream. Add the entire bean pod too and bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat. Once it comes to a simmer, turn off the heat. Add the vanilla extract. Leave the mixture to steep for a few minutes.

Combine the egg yolks and the 2/3 cups of sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth. Slowly add the warm cream, a little at a time, into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. (Discard the bean pods at this point -I found it made the upcoming whisking easier to do.)

Set the bowl with the egg mixture on top of a pot of simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Whisk mixture constantly about 10-15 minutes until it reaches a temperature of 180°F and the custard coats the back of a spoon. (Unlike creme brulee, this custard will not go into the oven, so make sure you bring it to this temperature to be sure the eggs are cooked.) Remove the bowl from the heat and allow it to cool completely. The custard will also thicken as it cools. Once cooled, cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly onto the top of the custard to keep it from getting a skin, and then chill in the refrigerator overnight.

Cut the tops off of the peaches. You may also need to cut a small piece from the bottom to assure they will sit flat. Place them in a dish or pan so that you can easily move them to the refrigerator for chilling. Carefully remove the peach pits with a spoon and hollow the peaches out a bit. Make sure there is not much juice in the bowl of the peach or the custard will get runny. Spoon or pipe the custard into the centers of the peach so that the mixture is even with the top of the peach. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Sprinkle a thin layer of sugar; about 1 teaspoon each, on top of the custard filled peach. Caramelize the sugar using your kitchen torch. Remember to keep it moving for even coloring. Best served within an hour of caramelizing.