Tiny creme brulee cakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• Half a vanilla pod, split
• 4 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 large yolks
• 24 vanilla wafer cookies, round
• Special equipment: pastry bag, hand torch

Preparation:

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 150°C.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the cream and vanilla bean over medium heat until steaming. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons of sugar until pale yellow. Fold the cream into the egg mixture. Remove the vanilla bean, scrape out the remaining seeds, and fold them into the cream. Pour the cream into an 8-inch square baking dish.
3. Line a 22 x 32 cm (9 x 13 in) baking dish with a kitchen towel and place the custard-filled pan on top. Place the larger pan on the oven rack and fill it about halfway with warm water. Bake the custard until set but still jiggly in the center, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (The custard can be made the night before.) Transfer the custard to a pastry bag or large zip-lock plastic bag and snip off the corner.
4. Place the cookies flat-side up on a baking sheet. Pipe a spiral of custard onto each cookie, all the way to the edge. Smooth the custard with a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
5. Before serving, generously sprinkle each crème brûlée with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Using a kitchen torch, light the crème brûlée until the sugar darkens and caramelizes. Refrigerate for a few minutes to allow the crème brûlée to thicken slightly, then serve.