Creme Brulee Recipe

Preheat and prepare

Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Arrange four 6-ounce ramekins in a deep baking dish or roasting pan that will hold them with at least 1 inch of space around each.

Heat cream mixture

In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream, whole milk, and the scraped vanilla bean and pod (or add vanilla extract later if using). Warm over medium heat until it just begins to steam and small bubbles form around the edge, about 5 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from heat and let steep 10–15 minutes to infuse vanilla.

Whisk yolks and sugar

While the cream steeps, in a medium bowl whisk together the egg yolks, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and a pinch of fine sea salt until the mixture is smooth and slightly paler, about 1–2 minutes. Do not whip in air.

Temper eggs

Remove the vanilla pod from the cream and discard (if used). Slowly pour about 1/3 of the warm cream into the yolk mixture in a thin stream while whisking constantly to temper the yolks. Then slowly whisk in the remaining cream until combined.

Strain custard

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

Fill ramekins

Place ramekins in the prepared baking dish. Divide the custard evenly among the four ramekins (about 5–6 ounces each).

Create bain-marie: Carefully pour the hot water into the baking dish around the ramekins until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Be careful not to splash water into the custards.

Bake: Transfer the baking dish to the preheated oven. Bake until the custards are set but still slightly jiggly in the center, about 35–45 minutes (start checking at 30 minutes). The edges should be set and the center will have a gentle wobble.

Cool: Remove ramekins from the water bath using tongs or a towel and place on a rack. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate uncovered for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days to fully set.

Dry the surface: About 10 minutes before serving, remove ramekins from refrigerator. Pat the custard surface lightly with a paper towel if any condensation is present—dry surface helps caramelize evenly.

Evenly sprinkle 3 tablespoons granulated sugar over the top of the chilled custards, dividing equally (about 3/4 tablespoon per ramekin).

Caramelize: Using a handheld culinary torch, move the flame steadily across the sugar until it melts, bubbles, and turns a deep amber evenly across the surface, about 1–2 minutes. If you don't have a torch, place ramekins under a very hot broiler on the top oven rack 3–6 inches from the heat and broil until sugar melts and browns (watch constantly to avoid burning).

Set crust: Let the caramelized sugar cool and harden for 1–2 minutes before serving so it forms a crisp shell.