Classic Crème Brûlée

Perfect crème brûlées are super creamy with crisp amber tops—like these! A butane kitchen torch works best for caramelizing the sugar, but if you don’t have one, broil the sugar-topped crème brûlées as close to the element as possible until the sugar caramelizes.

MAKES: 4 servings

PREP TIIME: 20 minutes

COOKING TIME: about 50 minutes

CHILLING TIME: at least 2 hours

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 large egg yolks
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups whipping cream (35%)
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• Additional granulated sugar for topping

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks well. Add the sugar, then whisk really vigorously. (Whisking hard allows the sugar crystals to break down the eggs and results in extra-creamy crème brûlées.)
2. Add the vanilla extract and continue to whisk vigorously.
3. Add the cream to the egg mixture and stir in gently until the ingredients are combined. Add the salt and stir gently. (Gentle stirring at this point minimizes the number of bubbles in the crème brûlées.)
4. Strain the egg mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher. Put four ¾-cup ramekins or custard cups in a shallow roasting pan. Pour the egg mixture into the ramekins.
5. Pull the oven rack partway out of the oven and put the roasting pan containing the ramekins on the rack. Pour hot, not boiling, water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Carefully slide the oven rack back into the oven.
6. Bake until the custards are set around the edges but not in the centres, about 50 minutes. Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven.
7. Leave the custards in the roasting pan until the ramekins are cool enough to handle. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
8. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoonful of additional sugar over each custard to cover the surface completely.
9. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, light a butane kitchen torch. Using small, circular motions, torch the sugar on top of each custard so it melts gently without darkening too quickly (or catching fire!). If the sugar darkens too quickly, hold the torch further away; if the sugar isn’t darkening, hold the torch closer to it. Refrigerate the crème brûlées, uncovered, for 5 minutes before serving.