Creme Brulee

Directions

1. 1
   Prepare oven and baking dishes Heat oven to 300F.
2. 2
   Bring a kettle or pot of water to a boil.
3. 3
   Place eight 5-ounce baking dishes in a large roasting pan.
4. 4
   Gently heat cream In a medium saucepan, combine cream and half of the sugar (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons).
5. 5
   Scrape vanilla seeds into pan, then add pod.
6. 6
   Heat over medium just until mixture starts to bubble around the edge of the pan, 7 to 8 minutes (do not let boil).
7. 7
   Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons), and the salt.
8. 8
   Temper eggs Use a ladle to pour a small amount of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture, then whisk to combine.
9. 9
   (This is called tempering and prevents the eggs from curdling.)
10. 10
    Add two more ladles of cream mixture, one at a time, whisking to combine after each addition.
11. 11
    Gradually whisk in remaining cream mixture.
12. 12
    Strain through a fine sieve into a large liquid measuring cup (to remove the vanilla pod and any cooked bits of egg).
13. 13
    Bake Divide custard evenly among baking dishes.
14. 14
    Place pan in oven.
15. 15
    Add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the dishes.
16. 16
    Bake until custards are just set (they should tremble slightly in center when shaken), 30 to 40 minutes.
17. 17
    Chill Remove pan from oven.
18. 18
    Use tongs to carefully remove dishes from hotwater bath and place on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
19. 19
    Then cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours (or up to 3 days) before serving.
20. 20
    The custards will finish setting in the refrigerator.
21. 21
    If you like, transfer the custards to the freezer 15 minutes before serving to ensure they stay cold after being bruleed (this is especially important if using the broiler).
22. 22
    Caramelize tops and serve Sprinkle about 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar over each custard.
23. 23
    Working with one at a time, pass the flame of the torch in a circular motion 1 to 2 inches above the surface of each custard until the sugar bubbles, turns amber, and forms a smooth surface.
24. 24
    Serve immediately.
25. 25
    For this recipe, the custards are baked in traditional brulee dishes, which are shallow (1 inch high) and wide, to allow more surface area for caramelizing the sugar; any individual-size baking dish can be used instead.
26. 26
    You will need a roasting pan to set the ramekins in to create a bain-marie.
27. 27
    A small kitchen propane torch works best to brulee the tops of each custard; you can use your broiler, but its far more difficult to control the heat and to cook the sugar crust evenly (and to achieve the same degree of caramelization).