Creme Brulee Tart with Animal Cracker and Cashew Crust

Here's what happens when you have to quickly throw together a dessert on New Years Eve and the grocery store entrance has a 3 mile traffic jam leading up to it.  You improvise.

We got a giant tub of animal crackers for Christmas, as well as a jar of fancy salted cashews.  So I crushed both in the food processor, added a touch of flour and a touch of sugar and melted 1.5 sticks of butter.   Those mixed all together form a nice, pressed together tart crust. 

Next, I was out of heavy cream and vanilla beans, so I substituted for half and half and vanilla extract.  I made my liquid custard quickly and poured it carefully into my makeshift crust.

This tart is easy, fast and requires a little bit of inventiveness, but you can do it too!

Creme Brulee Tart with Animal Cracker and Cashew Crust

Crust:
3 cups Animal crackers
1.5 cups Cashews
1/4 cup Flour
1/4 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Butter

Filling:
2 cups Half n Half
1 Tbsp Vanilla extract
4 Egg yolks
1 Whole egg
1/2 cup Sugar, divided
1/8 tsp Salt

Method:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a food processor, combine animal crackers, cashews, flour and sugar.  Pulse until completely crushed and combined.  Melt butter in microwave for 30 to 45 seconds;  slowly pour melted butter into food processor while running on low until mixture is wet and crumbly.
2.  Grease and flour a fluted 9-in tart pan (or just a 9-in pie pan).  Press crust mixture evenly onto bottom and sides of pan.  Place on cookie sheet, bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven, reduce temperature to 300 degrees F.
3.  Meanwhile, combine half and half and vanilla in a medium saucepan and heat on medium until it just begins to boil.  Turn heat off and let steep.
4.  Whisk together eggs, 6 tbsp of sugar and salt.  Slowly pour hot half n half into egg mixture, whisking constantly so as not to scramble the eggs.  Carefully pour mixture into tart shell and place back in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes.  The sides will be set up, but the center will still be wobbly when you remove it from the oven.  Allow it to cool.
5.  Just before serving, sprinkle remaining 2 Tbsp of sugar over the top of the tart and light a kitchen blowtorch.  Caramelize the top of the tart.  Carefully press the bottom of the fluted tart pan up to remove the tart from the pan and serve.