Strawberry Chocolate Crème Brûlée

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 250ºF.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the cream and ¼ cup of sugar, over medium heat until it just begins to simmer, stirring constantly. Whisk in the chocolate until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar until smooth like a ribbon. Pour a small amount of the cream mixture into the eggs and whisk them to temper the heat.

3. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the cream, whisking constantly, until well combined. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve or cheesecloth.

4. Pour the mixture into 4 oven-safe ramekins. Submerge a couple of the dried strawberries into the center of each custard and place them in a roasting pan. Fill the pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Place the pan into the pre-heated oven and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes or until just set. Carefully remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and let cool. Once cooled, refrigerate the brûlée for at least 1 hour.

5. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the fine sugar, evenly, over each custard. Using a small torch, wave the flame about 3 inches over the custards to caramelize the sugar to a golden brown. If you don’t have a torch, you can place them under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. When cooled, the sugar will form a hard, candy-like shell.

6. Garnish with Fresh Strawberries.