Pistachio Creme Brulee

I love pistachio anything... I think it started with my childhood love for pistachio pudding and spumoni ice cream. I also love creme brulee so I guess this recipe was a natural progression. My next baking adventure will be a pistachio cheese cake.



















Ingredients
1 3/4 cup half and half
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup raw sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
5 ounces chopped pistachios

sprinklings of refined sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a sauce pan heat the half and half with the vanilla bean and pistachios just until it starts to boil. Cover and let ingredients steep for at least 20 minutes. Bring mixture back to a medium heat. Strain this mixture into a glass measuring cup.

In a bowl, mix eggs and sugar together until creamy. SLOWLY pour (temper) the hot milk mixture into the bowl while vigorously whisking. Pour mixture into about 6 ramekins. Take some of the remaining pistachios from the strainer and sprinkle them into the brulees.

Place brulees in a glass dish with a water bath (hot water half way up the ramekins) and cook for 25 minutes. When brulees are set, remove and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. This can be made a day in advance if you like.

To serve, sprinkle brulees with refined white sugar and caramelize with a torch. Top with some crushed pistachios if you like.