Chocolate Espresso Creme Brulee

This recipe comes from Debbie Puente's excellent Elegantly Easy Crème Brûlée and Other Custard Desserts. It is a rich and luxurious dessert for chocolate and coffee lovers alike.

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream
1 tbsp instant espresso powder
5 oz bittersweet chocolate
6 egg yolks
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar (for caramelized tops)

garnish
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp sugar
chocolate-covered espresso beans

Instructions

It helps to have a small kitchen butane torch (or even better, those larger industrial torches!) but if you don't have one, you can also use a broiler to caramelize the tops.