Home Page CLASSIC CRÈME BRÛLÉE Updated 07/17/23

Crème brûlée is all about the contrast between the crisp sugar crust and the silky custard underneath. But too often the crust is either stingy or rock-hard, and the custard is heavy and tasteless. We found that the secret to a soft, supple custard was using egg yolks rather than whole eggs. Heavy cream gave the custard a luxurious richness. Sugar, a vanilla bean, and a pinch of salt were the only other additions. Many recipes use scalded cream, but we found that this resulted in overcooked custard, so we left the ingredients cold. However, we needed heat to extract flavor from the vanilla bean and dissolve the sugar. Our compromise was to heat only half of the cream with the sugar and vanilla bean and add the remaining cream cold, which worked perfectly. For the crust, we used crunchy turbinado sugar and a propane or butane torch worked better than the broiler for caramelizing the sugar, and because the blast of heat inevitably warms the custard beneath the crust, we chilled our crèmes brûlées once more before serving.

CLASSIC CRÈME BRÛLÉE

• 1 vanilla bean

• 4 cups heavy cream (divided use)

• 2/3 cup (4 2/3 ounces) granulated sugar

• Pinch salt

• 12 large egg yolks

• 8 to 12 teaspoons turbinado or Demerara sugar

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 F.

Cut vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Using tip of paring knife, scrape out seeds. Combine vanilla bean and seeds, 2 cups cream, sugar, and salt in medium saucepan. Bring mixture to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Off heat, let steep for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place kitchen towel in bottom of large baking dish or roasting pan; set eight 4- or 5-ounce ramekins (or shallow fluted dishes) on towel (they should not touch). Bring kettle of water to boil.

After cream has steeped, stir in remaining 2 cups cream. Whisk egg yolks in large bowl until uniform. Whisk about 1 cup cream mixture into yolks until combined; repeat with 1 cup more cream mixture. Add remaining cream mixture and whisk until evenly colored and thoroughly combined. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into large liquid measuring cup or bowl; discard solids in strainer. Divide mixture evenly among ramekins.

Set baking dish on oven rack. Taking care not to splash water into ramekins, pour enough boiling water into dish to reach two-thirds up sides of ramekins. Bake until centers of custards are just barely set and register 170 F to 175 F, 30 to 35 minutes (25 to 30 minutes for shallow, fluted dishes), checking temperature about 5 minutes before recommended minimum time.

Transfer ramekins to wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Set ramekins on baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours.

Uncover ramekins; if condensation has collected on custards, blot moisture with paper towel. Sprinkle each with about 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar (1 1/2 teaspoons for shallow, fluted dishes); tilt and tap each ramekin to distribute sugar evenly, dumping out excess sugar. Ignite torch and caramelize sugar. Refrigerate ramekins, uncovered, to rechill, 30 to 45 minutes; serve. Makes 8 servings.

Notes: Separate the eggs and whisk the yolks after the cream has finished steeping; if left to sit, the surface of the yolks will dry and form a film. A vanilla bean gives the custard the deepest flavor, but 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, whisked into the yolks, can be used instead. While we prefer turbinado or Demerara sugar for the caramelized sugar crust, regular granulated sugar will work, too, but use only 1 scant teaspoon on each ramekin or 1 teaspoon on each shallow, fluted dish.

Per serving: Calories 582 (78% fat), Fat 51 g (30 g sat), Cholesterol 479 mg, Sodium 94 mg, No fiber, Carbohydrates 26 g, Protein 7 g

Variations

• Espresso Crème Brûlée: Crush 1/4 cup espresso beans lightly with the bottom of a skillet. Substitute this for vanilla bean. Whisk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract into yolks before adding cream.

• Tea-Infused Crème Brûlée: Substitute 10 Irish breakfast tea bags, tied together, for vanilla bean; after steeping, squeeze bags with tongs or press into fine-mesh strainer to extract all liquid. Whisk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract into yolks before adding cream.

• Family-Style Crème Brûlée: Substitute 11x7-inch baking dish for ramekins and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.