This post comes to us from our guest blogger, Benjamin Prelvukaj, the founder of Benjamin Steak House. Please see his full bio at the end of this post.

Crème Brulee is a classic steak house dessert- both because of its elegant simplicity and light, creamy texture. It’s luscious, vanilla flavor and crispy, caramelized crown offer the perfect ending to a decadent steakhouse dinner. Following is a very simple recipe we use in-house, which is both user-friendly and sure to be a hit at your next dinner party:

Fresh Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee

Ingredients:

• 2 Quarts of Heavy Cream
• 20 egg yolks
• 300 grams of sugar
• 2 vanilla beans
  
  1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2) In a bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar. Beat until well-blended.
  3) On a cutting board, lay the vanilla beans flat down. Slice down the middle and remove the vanilla beans from the middle of the pod.
  4) Add vanilla beans and heavy cream to a pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
  5) Pour the boiled heavy cream slowly into the egg yolk mixture, stirring the whole time. The key is to stir it slowly, so as to create a creamy texture.
  6) After stirring, remove the excess skin of the cream, which formed after it was boiled. This is also a good way of eliminating a considerable amount of fat from the dessert.
  7) Distribute this mixture evenly into about 10 1-inch crème brulee dishes.
  8) Place the dishes on a baking pan and bake for about 30 minutes.
  9) Remove from oven and let it cool down. When ready to serve, coat the top of the dish with sugar and torch it with a cooking torch until it caramelizes, turning a crispy, golden brown. Be careful not to burn it!
  10) Enjoy!
  
  
  Editor's Note: About our guest blogger Benjamin Prelvukaj
  
  
  
  
  
  Benjamin Prelvukaj is the ambitious young entrepreneur who founded Benjamin Steak House. Benjamin, along with fellow Peter Luger alumni, Chef Arturo McLeod, started Benjamin Steak House in 2006. In two short years, Benjamin Steak House has established itself as one of New York’s premiere steak houses, attracting business professionals and celebrities alike.
  
  At the humble age of 18, he moved to New York in pursuit of a better life for him and his family. After working at various New York restaurants, he began working full-time as a waiter at the famous Peter Luger steakhouse in Brooklyn while also attending school. Juggling school and a full-time job was no easy task, but Benjamin was determined to succeed.
  
  While working at Peter Luger, Benjamin paid close attention to what made the restaurant so successful. He also took note of the areas he thought needed improvement. These assessments were the building blocks to the development of Benjamin Steak House. After assembling a group of investors, Benjamin began to search for a location for his dream restaurant. When he stumbled upon the Dylan Hotel, Benjamin knew he had found the right place. The elegant setting of the two-story space, located in the century-old Chemist Club building near Grand Central was exactly what he has envisioned. With its brass chandeliers, soaring ceilings, and 10-foot fireplace, the location felt like a Sinatra-esque throwback to the Big Band Era.
  
  Many restaurants had failed in this location before- including the Chemist Club Grill and Britney Spears’ NYLA- but that did not deter Benjamin. The first 6 months after the opening, business was slow, but Mr. Prelvukaj refused to lose hope. He continued to refine his menu, hire the finest wait and kitchen staff, and promote Benjamin Steak House around the city. In time, his hard work paid off. Today it is rare to find an empty seat in Benjamin’s, even on weekdays, and celebrity clientele include world champion boxers Evander Holyfield and Wladimir Klitschko, movie stars Vin Diesel, Hillary Duff, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Meloni, and Reba McIntyre, and super models Naomi Campbell and Jessica Hart, among others. Benjamin Prelvukaj’s success story is truly inspirational, and a testament to the fact that, no matter where you come from, if you have the ambition and persistence, you too can live the American dream.