“Can’t you accept the possibility that this isn’t an X-File?”

The climax of this episode involves Scully telling her captor, Jack Willis (…or Warren Dupre, possessing Jack Willis…) a story from their past about ice fishing at the Pine Barrens. We fixated on that story and have come up with this recipe for Old Bay Crème Brulée. The act of breaking the sugar layer on top of a crème brulée seems a little like breaking the ice to fish. Look, we know it’s a reach, but we’re so proud of ourselves. Old Bay, because we overuse this seasoning, and because the episode is predominantly set in Maryland. We’ve also added whiskey to our custard, so that this dish could be considered to have a “shot of Jack”. We really like this twist on Crème Brulée, and the flavor reminds us of Old Bay seasoned caramel corn we once bought at a Fisher’s Popcorn stand in Rehoboth Beach. It’s delicious.

Jump to recipe

“Lazarus” is a perfectly fine episode of The X-Files. It deals with a bank robbery sting gone wrong. Scully’s former boyfriend/FBI Academy instructor is shot as is a robber. One of them dies, one of them comes back from near death, but who is really in the living body? This episode also marks the first of Scully’s abductions, as Jack Willis/Warren Dupree kidnaps her for leverage.

One of the things that really works in this episode is that either Mulder or Scully’s hypothesis is plausible. Maybe it is some sort of psychic transference, or maybe it is PTSD. No one’s theorizing about aliens or obscure medical conditions that affect very few people. One thing that doesn’t work is the believability that Scully dated this mediocre man. Like Mulder’s relationship with Phoebe Green in the episode “Fire”, this feels more like a plot contrivance than a backstory.

Final thoughts: this show really likes to set Scully up with her teachers. She dated Jack Willis while he was her instructor at the Academy, and in Season 7’s “all things”, it’s revealed that she had an affair with one of her instructors from medical school.

Lastly, shoutout to our friend Natalie for the “shot of Jack” inspiration!

The Recipe File|

Some crème brulée recipes call for all the ingredients to be whisked together at once. However, we’ve found that the method where hot cream is added to the beaten eggs works better. The custard cooked better if the mixture when into the oven already heated through.

We used 4 ramekins with a 1 1/2C volume each, but 6 1C ramekins would also work. You will just want to reduce the cooking time.

Preheat oven to 330°.

Separate the eggs and add to a large bowl. Whisk in 1/2 C sugar until well combined, and the egg mixture is pale yellow in color. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat up the heavy cream until very hot, stirring occasionally. It doesn’t need to be boiling, but it should be close. Look for small bubbles near the side of the pan.

Slowly add the hot cream to the egg and sugar mixture, and whisk to combine. Whisk in the whiskey (or vanilla) and add a pinch of salt. Note: we used whiskey for the “shot of Jack” joke, but 2 tsp vanilla extract could be used instead. However, a slight whiskey flavor goes nicely with the Old Bay topping.

Arrange ramekins in a large dish with high sides and fill each ramekin with custard mixture. Bring several cups of water to boil and pour into the dish, being careful to not get any in the custard mixture. You want the water to be deep enough that it comes up to about 2/3 of the height of the ramekins. Note: the water filled pan can get heavy, so we’ve had a lot of success placing the pan on the oven rack, and then adding the boiling water.

Bake for 40 – 45 minutes, until the custard is set around the edges and darker in color. It’ll still be slightly wobbly in the middle. Be careful to not overbake.

Allow custards to cool at room temperature for around 15 minutes, then transfer to the fridge. Chill for at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.

Remove custards from fridge. Lightly dust the top of the custard with Old Bay seasoning. Sprinkle with around 1/2 tbsp sugar, then use a culinary torch to melt the sugar. Note: the Old Bay needs to be covered by the sugar, or else it will burn. However, when the sugar is melted on top of the Old Bay, it blends in to the crunchy sugar layer.

Optional: In a technique we read about from Mary Berry, you can create a crunchier top if you let the melted sugar cool for a minute, and then add a second layer of sugar to torch.

Serve immediately.

Old Bay Crème Brulée Recipe