Crème Brûlée Recipe

Preheat and prepare ramekins

Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Arrange six 4–6 oz ramekins in a roasting pan or baking dish that will fit them snugly.

If using a vanilla bean, split it lengthwise with a sharp knife and scrape out the seeds. Reserve both seeds and pod.

In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, vanilla seeds and the scraped pod, and about one-quarter of the custard sugar (reserved sugar is optional). Warm the mixture over medium heat until it is hot and steaming but not boiling (small bubbles forming at the edge), about 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep for 10–15 minutes to intensify vanilla flavor.

While the cream is steeping, whisk the egg yolks, remaining granulated sugar for custard (if you reserved some previously use the total listed), and fine sea salt in a heatproof bowl until the mixture is smooth and slightly pale, about 1–2 minutes. Do not whip to incorporate too much air.

Remove the vanilla pod from the cream and discard (or rinse and dry to infuse sugar later). Slowly temper the warm cream into the yolk mixture: pour a small stream of hot cream into the yolks while whisking constantly to raise the yolks' temperature. Continue pouring slowly until about half of the cream is incorporated, then whisk until combined.

Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl to remove any coagulated bits and any remaining vanilla pod fragments. This yields a smooth custard.

Place the ramekins in the prepared roasting pan. Pour the strained custard evenly into the ramekins, filling nearly to the top but leaving a small gap (about 1/4 inch).

Carefully pour hot water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins (use water about as hot as the cream or from a kettle).

Bake in the preheated oven for 30–40 minutes, rotating the pan once halfway through, until the custards are mostly set but still slightly jiggly in the center when gently shaken. Total time depends on ramekin size; begin checking at 25 minutes for smaller ramekins.

Remove ramekins from the water bath and transfer to a wire rack. Let them cool to room temperature, then refrigerate uncovered or loosely covered for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days to fully set.

When ready to serve, sprinkle about 1 heaping tablespoon (or 1 tbs per 4–6 oz ramekin) of the granulated sugar for brûlée evenly over the chilled custard surface. Tilt and tap the ramekin gently to distribute the sugar into an even layer.

Using a kitchen torch, hold the flame about 2–3 inches from the sugar and move it in a slow, even circular motion until the sugar melts, bubbles, and turns a deep amber color (watch for burning). This takes about 1–2 minutes. If you don't have a torch, place the ramekins under a very hot broiler set 4–6 inches from the element for 2–4 minutes—watch constantly and rotate as needed to avoid burning.

Allow the caramelized sugar to cool and harden for 1–2 minutes, then serve immediately. The sugar will form a crisp top over the creamy custard.