Banana Creme Brulee

TIME DOES NOT INCLUDE 2 HOUR CHILLING TIME: I had a wonderful banana creme brulee recipe that I made for years. But somewhere along the line, lost the recipe. I finally came across this one from Willliams-Sonoma that is very close to what I had. I'll try it tonite and see how it goes! For a perfectly creamy custard, line the baking pan with a kitchen towel, and then add the filled ramekins and boiling water. This technique works very well when making Mexican Flan and other custards. Don't skip the tea towel!!!

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2  ripe bananas
• 2 1⁄4 cups heavy cream
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 8  teaspoons sugar, divided use
• 4  egg yolks
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Have pot of boiling water ready.
2. Peel 1 of the bananas and cut in thirds. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, cut banana and the 1/4 cup sugar.
3. Cook, stirring, until steam rises, 4 to 5 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes.
4. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks and vanilla until blended.
5. Strain the cream through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl; discard the cooked banana. Pour the cream into the yolks, a little at a time, stirring constantly until smooth; divide among four 6-oz. ramekins.
6. Line a 3-inch-deep baking pan with a kitchen towel, place the ramekins in the pan and add boiling water to fill the pan halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover loosely with foil and bake until set, 30 to 35 minutes.
7. Remove the ramekins from the pan, cool to room temperature and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours.
8. Peel the remaining banana and slice crosswise into slices 1/8 inch thick. Arrange 7 or 8 slices over the top of each crème brûlée and sprinkle 2 teaspoons sugar evenly over each surface.
9. With a kitchen torch, move the flame continuously in small circles over the surface until the sugar melts and lightly browns. Serve immediately.