Ingredients: 1 large egg, 4 large egg yolks, 1/2cup sugar plus some for topping, 3 cups heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, tablespoon orange liqueur
preheat oven to 300. In the bowl of an electric mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment) combine the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of sugar on low speed just until mixed.
Scald the cream in a sauce pan until very hot, but do not boil. with the mixer on low speed, very slowly add the hot cream. add the vanilla and orange liqueur and mix 1 minute more. poor the mixture into ramekins until almost full. (4-6 ramekins depending on the size)
Place the ramekins in a baking pan or a pyrex glass baking dish if they will fit. place the pan with ramekins in the oven. Add enough boiling water to the pan so it comes about halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 40-45 minutes (watch at the end so they don’t brown). carefully remove the ramekins from the pan and let cool to room temp. place in the refrigerator for at least a few hours.
When you are ready to serve, sprinkle the top with the remaining sugar (about 1 tablespoon each) and heat it with a kitchen torch until brown, bubbly, and caramelized. let stand for a minute or two and serve.
Note: if the cream is too hot, or you add it too fast, you will have bad scrambled eggs instead of an awesome custard. I use a liquid measuring cup to pour the hot cream into the eggs with a high pour and a very slow steady stream.