Preparing a vanilla bean creme brulee can add a special touch to a Valentine's Day dessert.  Creme brulee consists of a creamy custard base topped with a crisp topping made from caramelized sugar.  The dish can be flavored with many secondary ingredients, which this version using a vanilla bean.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRpdOGNW1WE

Creating a restaurant-quality creme brulee requires perfecting a few cooking techniques such as scalding dairy, tempering the custard and burning the sugar.  The scalding process occurs when dairy is heated to the point just before boiling.  That hot dairy is then slowly whisked into eggs, which tempers them and increases their temperature without cooking them.  To top the dish, sugar is burned using a torch, a tricky process to make sure the sugar is just cooked enough, but not too much.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRpdOGNW1WE

• 1 whole vanilla bean
  
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch salt
• Pot of hot water
• Sugar, for topping
• Powdered sugar, for dustinghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRpdOGNW1WE

• Small knife
  
• Medium saucepan
• Large mixing bowl
• Wire whisk
• Large baking dish
• Kitchen towel
• Ramekins
• Ladle
• Propane torch
• Parchment paperhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRpdOGNW1WE

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
   
2. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape to remove the vanilla seeds.  Place in the medium saucepan.  Add the cream.
3. Place the cream in the saucepan.  Heat over medium heat until scalding, when small bubbles form around the rim of the pan, but before the dairy reaches boiling.
4. Beat together the eggs, sugar and salt in the large mixing bowl.  Mix with the wire whisk until the eggs lighten in color.
5. Slowly drizzle the hot cream into the egg mixture while whisking.  This process, known as tempering, must be done slowly to prevent the egg from cooking.  
6. Place the kitchen towel flat in the large baking dish.  Evenly space the ramekins over the towel in the pan.
7. Pour the cream mixture into the measuring pitcher, then fill each ramekin about two-third full with the cream mixture.
8. Use the ladle to fill the baking pan with water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
9. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes or until the center of the custard shakes like jello.
10. Remove from oven and allow to cool, then refrigerate, overnight if possible.
11. Generously sprinkle a layer of sugar over the custard in each ramekin.  Use the propane torch to carefully melt the sugar.  Continues melting the sugar until it's blackened.
12. Cut the parchment paper to the size of the ramekin and cut a design into the center of the paper circle, such as a heart.  Place the paper over the dessert in the ramekin.
13. Dust the dessert with powdered sugar.  Carefully remove the parchment paper, then serve the dessert.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRpdOGNW1WE