Crème Brulée Recipe

Preheat and arrange

Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Arrange six 6-oz (≈180 ml) ramekins in a roasting pan or baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer with room for hot water to surround them halfway up the sides.

Bring ingredients to temperature: remove heavy cream from refrigerator 15–20 minutes before starting so it is not ice cold; have eggs at room temperature if possible (about 15 minutes out).

Heat cream and milk with vanilla

In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, and the scraped seeds plus the pod of the vanilla bean (or add 1 tsp pure vanilla extract later). Heat over medium until steam appears and small bubbles form at the edges — do not let it boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 10–15 minutes to infuse vanilla. If using extract, skip steeping and add extract after tempering the eggs.

Whisk egg yolks and sugar

While cream is steeping, whisk the egg yolks, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, and a pinch of fine salt in a medium bowl until the mixture is light in color and slightly thickened (about 1–2 minutes).

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 remaining cream gradually while whisking until fully combined. If using vanilla extract, stir 1 tsp into the mixed custard now.

Strain custard

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

Divide the strained custard evenly among the six ramekins. Place the ramekins in the prepared roasting pan. Carefully pour hot (but not boiling) water into the pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins (about 1–1.2 liters depending on pan size).

Bake at 325°F (160°C) until the edges are set but the centers still wobble slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 35–45 minutes depending on oven and ramekin size. Start checking at 30 minutes. The custard will continue to set as it cools.

Remove the ramekins from the water bath using tongs or oven mitts and transfer to a wire rack. Cool to room temperature (about 1 hour), then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

Sugar top

When ready to serve, sprinkle about 2/3 tablespoon (roughly 2 teaspoons) of granulated sugar evenly over the surface of each chilled custard. Shake gently to level the sugar into an even layer. Use the remaining sugar divided as needed so total is about 4 tablespoons.

Caramelize

Using a handheld culinary torch, melt and caramelize the sugar by moving the flame back and forth about 2–3 inches from the surface until the sugar bubbles, liquefies, and turns a deep amber color (20–40 seconds). If you do not have a torch, place the ramekins under a very hot broiler 4–6 inches from the element for 2–4 minutes, watching constantly to avoid burning; rotate as needed for even caramelization.

Let the caramelized sugar cool and harden for 1–2 minutes before serving so it forms a crisp top. Serve immediately for best contrast between warm crisp top and cold custard.