I LOVE creme brûlée! BUT…the typical recipe is made with whole whipping cream (go figure) and 1/2 a cup of sugar in addition to the sugar on top of the custard. Not so great for my low-sugar, low-carb diet (especially considering I like to eat the WHOLE custard in one serving :-)

So, when I found a way to tweak the recipe (totally think it was a God thing) to make it “healthy” I knew I had to share. And, it’s SO simple!!!

Ingredients:

One cup of whole milk

One egg

One egg yolk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanila

Process:

Fill a pyrex baking dish 3/4 full of water and place it in the oven. Then, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Pour one cup of milk into a pan and heat on medium-low until it comes to a slow boil. After a couple of minutes a film will appear on the top of the milk. Don’t stir the milk. Simply remove the film just prior to mixing it with the eggs and sugar. Try not to over boil as you don’t want the milk to curdle. Most recipes will say to simply scald the milk (heat it to just before boiling). However, when using whole milk instead of cream I’ve found that boiling it for a couple of minutes will help to eliminate some of the water in the milk. It’s really not as complicated as it sounds. I just turn the milk on medium-low prior to combining the eggs and sugar. By the time I have them mixed together the milk is ready.

While the milk is heating, combine the whole egg, the egg yolk and the sugar. There are two ways the sugar can be used in the recipe and either one is yummy.

If you want a traditional creme brûlée, combine one tablespoon of sugar with the eggs and save the other tablespoon to sprinkle on top after the custard has baked and cooled. Then melt the sugar using the oven broiler or with a small kitchen torch.

Or, for a simpler method you can combine both tablespoons sugar with the eggs and simply eat the custard without the crusted sugar on top or garnish it with fruit instead.

If really trying to cut back on sugar I’ve used as little as one teaspoon of sugar to bake the custard and then topped it with fruit to add a little extra sweetness. Every way is delicious :-)

Combine the eggs and sugar with a hand-held electric mixer for about 30 seconds. Then remove any film that has accumulated on top of the milk and combine it with the eggs (Or, you can pour the egg/sugar mixture into the milk once you have removed the milk from the heat to avoid pouring a hot liquid). Add the teaspoon of vanilla and mix for another 30 seconds with the electric mixer. Be careful as it will be hot. Then, pour the mixture in one or two ramekins or small pyrex glass bowl(s) (that have been treated for use in the oven) and place the ramekins (or bowls) inside the pyrex dish filled with very hot water. The “water bath” surrounding the ramekins will help the custard cook evenly and not curdle.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the custard sets. As it cools it will become slightly firmer. I think the custard is best after it’s been refrigerated for about an hour. If there is any water that has accumulated after it sets just pour out the extra water. (It’s just water that didn’t boil completely out of the milk.)

If you opted for the traditional creme brûlée, sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of sugar on top of the custard after it has cooled. Then, melt the sugar using the oven broiler or a small kitchen torch.

This is MUCH simpler than it sounds. I can whip it up in 5 minutes while feeding the kids breakfast and unloading the dishwasher. And it is a FANTASTIC treat when trying to eat healthy. Topping out at 16.7 grams of protein you could almost call it health food ;-)

For another healthy treat check out this recipe for chocolate chip cookies with no flour or added sugar! Happy eating!!