Chocolate Creme Brulee: National Creme Brulee Day

My mother loves  Creme Brulee, so this is definitely her day. Celebrate National Creme Brulee Day with Chocolate Creme Brulee. There are a lot of recipes out there, but a really good never fail Recipe for Chocolate Creme Brulee comes from Paula Deen of the Food Network.  I love her recipe because it's easy, contains alcohol (Chocolate Liqueur) and tastes fantastic. Because this recipe calls for egg yolks only, use the extra egg whites to make chocolate meringues.

Chocolate Creme Brulee 

Ingredients
1 quart heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1- ounce chocolate liqueur (recommended: Godiva Liqueur)
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 ounces dark cocoa powder
1-ounce unsweetened chocolate (remember the best quality makes a difference)
11 large egg yolks

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium sized saucepan over medium-high heat, add the heavy cream, sugar, liqueur, and vanilla. When the mixture is warm add the cocoa powder and chocolate and whisk until blended.
Place the egg yolks in a large stainless steel bowl.
Slowly add the warm chocolate mixture to the eggs a little at a time while whisking.
Strain and pour into individual porcelain ramekins.
Place the ramekins in a large baking pan.
Pour enough hot water into the pan to come half way up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake until firm in the center, about 30 minutes.
Remove the ramekins from the water bath and let cool completely.
Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Dust with sugar and caramelize with a propane torch. Serve immediately.

If you've never carmelized sugar with a torch, read The Kitchn on Apartment Therapy. I use a small torch from the hardware store, but you can find torches at find kitchen shops. It's a fun item to have on hand. You can use it to finish your smores, too!