Pasta and creme brulee!

This week is a pretty random week, I was really busy with work and getting sick, again (the joys of working with children) so I decided to go with a favorite in my house, and something really easy and quick to do. The original recipe calls for grilled chicken, but I love to do my oven roasted chicken, so I used that instead, and I much prefer that flavor for it, but feel free to use grilled chicken if you want. For my oven roasted chicken, I just take skinless boneless chicken breasts, rub them in olive oil and season them with salt and pepper (and garlic powder sometimes, as we're a big garlic family) wrap them in tin foil and bake them in a 350 degree oven for about an hour. I wanted to try something fun for dessert to go with it, and am a big fan of creme brulee so I decided to brave that out an see how it went. It turned out so delicious, so smooth and creamy!

Chicken Penne Al Fresco

• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
• 2 cups grabe or cherry tomatoes
• 3 cups uncooked penne pasta
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 t salt and pepper
• 1 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves coarsely chopped
• 1 oz parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 cups diced grilled (or oven roasted) chicken breasts

Fill large pot with chicken broth and wine, bring to a boil before adding pasta, cook until the pasta in tender, and keep all the remaining liquid in the pot, do not drain! While the pasta is boiling, in a microwave safe bowl, put the sliced garlic, tomatoes, and drizzle it all in olive oil. Microwave on high for 4-5 minutes, stirring well after 2. Crush the tomatoes and add to the cooked pasta and liquid, adding the salt and pepper as well. Add the chicken, basil and cheese, reserving a bit of the cheese and basil for a garnish if you'd like. Mix well and serve.

Creme Brulee

• 1 quart heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 1 cup vanilla sugar, divided
• 6 large egg yolks
• 2 quarts hot water

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins (I used bowls and just kicked up the cooking time). Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving. If you don't have a torch, like me, I used the broiler setting on my oven and just put it in for a few minutes, it doesn't have the same effect but is still tasty.