Coconut Crème Brulee

I got this recipe from blazinghotwok.com and I LOVE it! I always have some of these in the freezer for a quick and healthy Paleo "cheat."

Amazingly, I did not change a single thing from the original recipe. I have tried "healthifying" it more, and this is as healthy as it gets. Do not be tempted to cut the sugar or the fat. As you can see from the photo, I did make a few with raw cocoa powder, and I won't be doing that again. My personal preference is sprinkling cocoa powder on top right before eating. Additionally, sometimes I add a dallop of chocolate frosting and a few berries. Here's the recipe:

For creme brulee, I always use washed raw sugar, also known as turbinado sugar. I'm sure regular ol' granulated sugar works just fine.

If you go the creme brulee route, you'll get the best results with a kitchen torch. I used my broiler but I took it out a little early so as not to warm the custard too much. The custard should be chilled while the top barely warm and crackly. serves 8

• 1 egg
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 ½ cups coconut milk (not lite)
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (use the pod for something else)
• 1 tbs fresh lime juice
• ¼ tsp kosher salt

In a large bowl or a KitchenAid mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks and sugar until combined.

In a saucepan, heat the coconut milk, cream and vanilla just to the boiling point. If there are extra large flecks of vanilla or some of the pod bark, strain the mixture through a mesh sieve. Then add the cream mixture to the egg mix, stirring (or paddling) slowly but thoroughly. Don’t add the cream too fast, or you may get scrambled eggs. I don’t recommend using a whisk because bubbles will form and when you bake the custard, the top won’t be smooth. After you have added all the cream mixture, add the lime juice and salt.

Pour or ladle the mixture into ramekins or other oven-safe glass/ceramic bowl (volume capacity about 1/3 to ½ cup). Bake the ramekins in a water bath in a 300° oven for 35 to 45 minutes. You’ll know the custard is done if you give the pan a little shake and the centers of the custards are set. ( Getting a sense for what “set” means takes a lot of practice. Since I don’t dabble in the sweet kitchen very often, it took me a long time to learn. Basically if the custard is somewhat giggly but not liquid, it’s set.) Take out of the oven and cool to room temperature before chilling in the fridge. I recommend chilling overnight, covered with plastic wrap.