Vanilla crème brûlée with Grand Marnier

One of the simple pleasures in life is breaking through the crispy top of a crème brûlée to scoop up spoonfuls of the creamy custard beneath. Enjoy!

Start to finish: 4 hours (2 minutes active)
Servings: 6

Ingredients
• 5 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup white sugar, divided
• 3 cups heavy cream
• Seeds of a vanilla bean
• 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and 1/2 cup of sugar. Set aside.

2. In a saucepan, gently heat the cream, vanilla bean seeds, and Grand Marnier without bringing it to a boil.

3. Gently pour the hot cream over the eggs and sugar, whisking continuously to avoid cooking the eggs.

4. Pour the mixture into 6 small ramekins, and place them in a large, deep baking dish. Pour hot water into the dish until the bottom half of the ramekins are submerged. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the crème brûlée is firm but still jiggles in the middle.

5. Let cool at room temperature for about 1 hour, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar evenly on top of the crème brûlées, then caramelize it with a torch or in an oven set to broil.