Crème Brûlée À La Vanille Recipe

Preheat and prepare ramekins

Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Arrange six 4–6 oz ramekins in a large baking dish with room between them. Set aside.

If using a vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scrape seeds with the back of a knife. Reserve pod for infusing.

Heat cream and milk

In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, vanilla seeds and scraped pod (or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract if using). Warm over medium heat until steam appears and small bubbles form at the edge but do not boil (about 5–7 minutes). Remove from heat and let steep for 10–15 minutes to infuse flavor. If you used a vanilla pod, remove and discard the pod after steeping.

Whisk yolks and sugar

While the cream steeps, whisk the egg yolks, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and salt in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth and slightly pale (about 1–2 minutes).

Temper yolks

Slowly pour about half of the warm cream into the yolk mixture in a thin steady stream while whisking constantly to temper the yolks. Continue whisking and add the remaining cream gradually until fully combined.

Strain custard

Pass the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl or large measuring cup to remove any cooked egg bits or vanilla pod fragments. This ensures a silky texture.

Pour the strained custard evenly into the prepared ramekins, filling almost to the top but leaving a small gap. Place the ramekins into the baking dish.

Carefully pour hot (not boiling) water into the baking dish around the ramekins until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the ramekins to create a bain-marie.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30–40 minutes, or until the custards are set at the edges but slightly jiggly in the center. Baking time will vary with ramekin size; check at 30 minutes.

Remove the ramekins from the water bath and let cool on a wire rack for 15–20 minutes. Then cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably 3–4 hours or up to 2 days, until thoroughly chilled and fully set.

When ready to serve, sprinkle about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of the granulated sugar for brûlée evenly over the surface of each chilled custard. Tilt and tap the ramekin to level the sugar and remove any excess.

Using a kitchen torch, hold the flame about 2–3 inches from the sugar and move in a steady circular motion until the sugar melts, bubbles and forms an even golden-brown crust (about 1–2 minutes). Allow the sugar to cool and harden for 1–2 minutes before serving.

If you don't have a torch, place the ramekins under a very hot broiler set about 4–6 inches from the heat. Broil for 1–3 minutes, watching very closely to avoid burning, until the sugar caramelizes. Let cool briefly to harden.

Serve each crème brûlée chilled with a crisp caramelized top. Crack through the sugar crust with the back of a spoon and enjoy immediately.