Search no more…this crème brûlée is the perfect recipe for the timeless classic! Rich, velvety-smooth custard with a crusty, paper-thin sheet of caramelized sugar topping. Need more than 2? Simply double, triple (or more) the recipe ingredients.
PREP. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat the oven to 300F/ 150C. Bring a kettle of water to a boil for the water bath and set aside until needed.
MAKE THE EGG YOLK MIXTURE. Whisk the egg yolks and vanilla bean paste together. Set aside.
2 egg yolks from large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
SIMMER THE CREAM MIXTURE. In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream, granulated sugar, and salt while stirring occasionally to completely dissolve the sugar. As soon as it begins to simmer, remove from heat.
160 grams (3/4 cup) heavy cream
24 grams (2 tablespoons) white granulated sugar
pinch fine sea salt
TEMPER THE EGGS. Slowly add in about 1/4 cup of the cream mixture, while constantly whisking, into the yolks until evenly colored and thoroughly combined. Then in a slow and steady stream, pour and whisk the remaining cream mixture. Keep those egg yolks moving so they don’t scramble.
STRAIN. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a large liquid measuring cup with a spout or a pitcher or medium bowl; discard solids in the strainer. Pour or ladle mixture evenly into ramekins. Pop any air bubbles that might have surfaced to the top, with a toothpick.
WATER BATH. Place a paper towel on the bottom of a baking pan or sheet pan large enough to hold the two ramekins. (This keeps the ramekins from slipping.) Set the ramekins on the paper towel. Carefully place the baking pan with the ramekins on the oven rack. Gently pour boiling water into the dish, taking care not to splash water into ramekins, until water reaches halfway up the side of the ramekins.
BAKE. Bake until the centers of the custards are barely set and jiggles slightly when the baking pan is nudged, about 20 minutes for shallow ramekins like the ones pictured above or 30 minutes for deep ramekins. For a more accurate sign, they're done when an instant food thermometer inserted registers between 170F to 175F (77C to 80C), Begin checking temperature about 5 minutes before recommended time. Over-baking can cause the custard to curdle, so take care not to leave it in the oven longer than it should.
COOL. Remove ramekins/dishes from the water-bath and transfer to a wire rack. Since my ramekins are thin, I used two tongs to remove them (watch the video to see this). Cool custards to room temperature, about 2 hours. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.
CARAMELIZE THE TOPS. Sprinkle each custard surface with about 1 tablespoon sugar; then shake and tilt the ramekin to spread the sugar in an even layer. Pour out any excess sugar and wipe away from the inside rim of the ramekin/dish. Ignite torch and caramelize sugar. Sweep the flame from the perimeter of the custard toward the middle, keeping the flame about 2 inches above the ramekin. The sugar is properly caramelized when it's bubbling and deep golden brown.
2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
SERVE right away. Refrigerate ramekins, uncovered, to re-chill, no longer than 30 minutes or the caramelized sugar will start melting.
Notes
My recipe post includes helpful tips and step-by-step photos to help guide you through making this recipe.