Crème Brûlée with Vanilla Bean

A classic French dessert with a silky custard base and a perfectly caramelized sugar top, made using traditional methods for an elegant finish.

Cuisine: French

Category: Desserts

Prep: 15 minutes. Cook: 50 minutes.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1, split and seeds scraped vanilla bean
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup (for custard) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (for topping) granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Step 1: Preheat oven to 325°F. Place a large baking dish in the oven to heat while preparing the custard.
2. Step 2: In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups heavy cream and the scraped seeds and pod of 1 vanilla bean. Heat over medium-low until steaming (do not boil), then remove from heat and steep for 15 minutes.
3. Step 3: Whisk 4 large egg yolks and 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a bowl until pale and slightly thickened.
4. Step 4: Slowly pour the warm cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly until combined.
5. Step 5: Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to remove the vanilla pod and any lumps.
6. Step 6: Divide the custard into 4 ramekins. Place ramekins in the preheated baking dish and pour hot water into the dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
7. Step 7: Bake for 30-35 minutes until edges are set but center still jiggles slightly.
8. Step 8: Remove from oven, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.