Crème Brûlée

Easier than you think, elegant, and delicious. Just don’t overcook it.

2 c half and half
6 egg yolks
6 T granulated sugar
Pinch salt
11⁄2 t vanilla bean paste
Granulated sugar, for topping

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place 6 6-oz or 8 4-oz crème brulée dishes on a baking pan with 2” high sides.

In a medium saucepan, combine cream and 3 tablespoons of the sugar. Heat gently on medium until the cream starts to bubble around the edges of the pan. Turn off heat, add vanilla bean paste and stir to combine.

In a large bowl, whisk yolks and remaining sugar and salt. Mix briskly until the mixture turns a pale yellow.

Temper the yolk mixture by adding half the hot cream mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly. Pour it all back into the saucepan and heat gently to 140 degrees (or warm to the touch, not too hot, if you don’t have a thermometer), paddling with a spatula to avoid bubbles.

Strain liquid through a fine sieve into a measuring cup. This is to remove any bits of cooked egg so you’ll have a perfectly smooth crème brûlée. Pour or ladle custard into the crème brulée dishes or ramekins. Zap any bubbles with a kitchen torch. Place the pan in the oven and pour hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the dishes.

Bake until custards are set (about 25 minutes) and they tremble slightly in the middle when shaken. Don’t overcook or let them get too firm. The custard will continue to set once placed in the refrigerator.

Remove dishes from the hot water bath and let them cool on a wire rack for up to 30 minutes. Cover with plastic and place in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.

To serve, sprinkle about 1-2 teaspoons of sugar over each crème. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize.