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1
Prepare oven and baking dishes Heat oven to 300F.
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2
Bring a kettle or pot of water to a boil.
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3
Place eight 5-ounce baking dishes in a large roasting pan.
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4
Gently heat cream In a medium saucepan, combine cream and half of the sugar (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons).
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5
Scrape vanilla seeds into pan, then add pod.
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Heat over medium just until mixture starts to bubble around the edge of the pan, 7 to 8 minutes (do not let boil).
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7
Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons), and the salt.
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8
Temper eggs Use a ladle to pour a small amount of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture, then whisk to combine.
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9
(This is called tempering and prevents the eggs from curdling.)
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10
Add two more ladles of cream mixture, one at a time, whisking to combine after each addition.
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11
Gradually whisk in remaining cream mixture.
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12
Strain through a fine sieve into a large liquid measuring cup (to remove the vanilla pod and any cooked bits of egg).
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13
Bake Divide custard evenly among baking dishes.
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14
Place pan in oven.
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15
Add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the dishes.
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16
Bake until custards are just set (they should tremble slightly in center when shaken), 30 to 40 minutes.
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17
Chill Remove pan from oven.
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18
Use tongs to carefully remove dishes from hotwater bath and place on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
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19
Then cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours (or up to 3 days) before serving.
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20
The custards will finish setting in the refrigerator.
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21
If you like, transfer the custards to the freezer 15 minutes before serving to ensure they stay cold after being bruleed (this is especially important if using the broiler).
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22
Caramelize tops and serve Sprinkle about 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar over each custard.
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23
Working with one at a time, pass the flame of the torch in a circular motion 1 to 2 inches above the surface of each custard until the sugar bubbles, turns amber, and forms a smooth surface.
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24
Serve immediately.
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25
For this recipe, the custards are baked in traditional brulee dishes, which are shallow (1 inch high) and wide, to allow more surface area for caramelizing the sugar; any individual-size baking dish can be used instead.
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26
You will need a roasting pan to set the ramekins in to create a bain-marie.
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27
A small kitchen propane torch works best to brulee the tops of each custard; you can use your broiler, but its far more difficult to control the heat and to cook the sugar crust evenly (and to achieve the same degree of caramelization).
