Dessert | Vanilla & Nutmet Pot de Creme

I had a real day off to myself. No freelance projects to catch up on. No chores to finish. Just a day to relax and walk a little bit slower then I normally would. I figured it was a good opportunity to get some early morning sunshine and run a few errands so I could take advantage of the afternoon light and photograph a recipe I've been wanting to try out. You see, my kitchen is located in the back of our house and only gets morning light; and seeing how I work 5 days a week, it makes it nearly impossible to ever cook during the day. Most of my food posts are photographed in the evening when I get home from work, making it nearly impossible to photograph without setting up a huge lighting system. I know that my pictures aren't the best they could be, but I'm working on it.

This mind-blowing dessert comes from Not Without Salt, a great blog out of Seattle. Of the dessert, they say, "This softly spiced custard is reminiscent of egg nog and is destined to become a new holiday tradition. It is lightly sweet, cool and creamy and can easily be transformed into Nutmeg Creme Brulee with the addition of a torched sugar crust."

VANILLA & NUTMEG POT DE CREME  |  Recipe inspired by Not Without Salt

2 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
1 ½ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
6 yolks
½ cup dark brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt

1  |  Pre-heat your oven to 320°F. In a medium sauce pan add the cream, vanilla seeds and bean, and the nutmeg. Bring to a simmer then turn off the heat and let sit for 15 minutes.

2  |  In a medium bowl add the yolks, salt, and sugar. Whisk until lightened and well combined. Bring the cream back up to a simmer. Turn off the heat and slowly add hot cream to the yolk mixture, stirring while pouring.

3  |  Strain this mixture with a fine mesh sieve to remove vanilla bean and unwanted egg bits. Pour this into four oven-safe ramekins. Place these in a larger baking dish (I use a cake pan). Place this into the pre-heated oven then pour water into the baking dish holding the ramekins. Bake for 30-45 minutes until the center of the custards still jiggle slightly when gently shaken. Start checking at 30 minutes then check every 5 minutes or so, until done. The custards will continue to set once out of the oven.

4  |  Let cool slightly then place them in the fridge to set – about 2 hours. Just before serving sprinkle with a bit more freshly ground nutmeg and a pinch of sugar.

Do not be deceived by the thin crust on top. The second your spoon goes into this light and creamy custard... there are no words! It's just that good, and definitely something I will make throughout Autumn and Winter.