Crème Brulee Recipe

Preheat and prepare

Preheat the oven to 325°F (162°C). Place four 6-ounce (180 ml) ramekins in a deep baking dish or roasting pan that will hold them snugly with some space between.

Heat cream and vanilla

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds with the back of a knife. In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, vanilla seeds and pod. Heat over medium heat until just beginning to steam and small bubbles form around the edges (do not boil). Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 10–15 minutes to infuse flavor.

Whisk yolks and sugar

While the cream steeps, whisk the egg yolks, 1/2 cup granulated sugar (for custard), and fine sea salt in a medium bowl until pale and slightly thickened, about 1–2 minutes. Do not aerate excessively.

Temper eggs

Remove the vanilla pod from the cream. Slowly pour about 1/3 of the warm cream into the yolk mixture in a thin stream while whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Continue adding the rest of the cream gradually while whisking until fully combined and smooth.

Strain custard

Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked egg bits and the vanilla pod remnants. This yields a silky custard.

Fill ramekins

Divide the strained custard evenly among the prepared ramekins (each should be about three-quarters full). Place the filled ramekins in the baking dish.

Prepare water bath and bake

Carefully pour hot water into the baking dish around the ramekins until the water reaches about halfway up the sides of the ramekins (use the 4 cups hot water, add more if needed). Cover the whole pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven until the custards are set but still slightly jiggly in the center, 35–45 minutes depending on oven and ramekin size. Start checking at 30 minutes.

Cool custards

Using oven mitts, remove the baking dish from the oven and transfer the ramekins to a wire rack. Let cool to room temperature, then cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 48 hours to fully set and chill.

Prepare sugar

When ready to serve, remove the ramekins from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes to remove chill. Evenly sprinkle about 1 to 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar (from the 3/4 cup reserved for topping) over the surface of each custard so there is a thin, even layer. Use an offset spatula or gently tilt to distribute if necessary.

Caramelize

Using a culinary torch, melt and caramelize the sugar by holding the flame about 2–3 inches from the surface and moving in a slow circular motion until the sugar melts, bubbles, and forms an even amber-brown crust, about 1–3 minutes per ramekin. If you do not have a torch, place the ramekins under a very hot broiler set about 3–4 inches from the heat source: position the ramekins on a baking sheet and broil until the sugar melts and browns, watching constantly (about 2–5 minutes).

Set and serve

Allow the caramelized sugar to cool and harden for 1–2 minutes. Serve immediately so the shell is crisp above the cold, creamy custard. If needed, reserve any leftover granulated sugar for future use.

All ingredient quantities correspond to four 6-ounce servings. Ensure cream never reaches a rolling boil to avoid curdling. If custards wobble greatly in the center after recommended baking time, continue baking in 5-minute increments. For a stronger vanilla flavor, split and scrape an additional vanilla bean or substitute 1–1.5 tsp pure vanilla extract added after tempering and before straining.