Creme Brulee

Baked Custard w/ Real Vanilla Bean

Servings: 6 (4-oz) ramekins | Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 40-45 mins

How to make rich, velvety creme brulee. Here, real vanilla bean takes this dessert from good to exquisite. Creme brulee is a baked custard that's topped with a thin layer of hard, caramelized sugar. Crack the caramelized layer with a spoon to get to the gooey goodness underneath. An easy recipe for an divine dessert. Raspberries optional.

• 8 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 pint (2 1/2 cups) heavy cream
• 3" vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped*
• Pinch of salt
• 8 tsp raw sugar for caramelized crust
• boiling water

Cut a 3" segment of a vanilla bean. (If you're doubling this recipe, simply use an entire vanilla bean.) Split it lengthwise and scrape the seeds out with a paring knife. Add vanilla seeds and pod into cream and heat in double boiler (or make-shift metal mixing bowl over saucepan) over low heat. Bring to simmer. Turn off heat and cover. Allow to steep for 20-30 minutes, depending on how much time you have to spare.*
Adjust oven rack to lower middle position. Preheat oven to 300° F.
Boil water on the side, keep on low heat ready to use.
Beat egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl until creamy yellow.
After steeping the vanilla in cream, remove vanilla pod. Rinse pod and set aside to dry, saving it for other uses. Warm up the cream again after steeping. Temper cream into egg yolks, a little at a time while mixing so you don't cook the egg yolks. Strain entire mixture through a fine sieve to remove large clumps of egg protein. This will help maintain a silky smooth texture.
Return mixture to the double boiler and stir over low heat until mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat. (Do not boil, and do not overcook. Mixture will curdle, or get clumpy. If it does, there's no saving it. Your egg yolks are cooked.)

(Ever wonder why some recipes instruct you to fill your ramekins and go straight into the oven while others call for you to return the mixture to the double boiler and risk curdling? Here's why... 1) Returning the mixture to the double boiler creates a creamier texture. 2) The simple step of returning the mixture to the double boiler helps to speed up the cooking process and cut your oven time in half. That equates to less energy output from the oven and less heat in your kitchen.)

Fill ramekins. Place ramekins evenly into a baking dish leaving space around each one. Fill baking dish with boiling water halfway up the ramekins. Bake in this water bath for 25 minutes for shallower ramekins (or 30 minutes for deeper ramekins) or until set but still jiggly in the center.
Remove ramekins from oven and water bath, being extra careful because the water bath is essentially hot boiling water. Allow to cool on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes.
Individually cover each ramekin with plastic wrap making it airtight. Refrigerate and chill for at least 4 hours—8 hours is better if you can spare it.
When you're ready to serve, uncover the plastic wrap and lightly blot the surface of each creme brulee with a paper towel to eliminate excess moisture. If you skip this step, the sugar in the next step will not caramelize properly into a crust.
Spread 2 tsp of raw sugar on top of each ramekin. Shake the sugar to evenly cover the entire surface of the ramekin. Torch the sugar to get a crisp golden brown caramelized sugar crust.
Serve creme brulee immediately. Enjoy!

*Vanilla extract is adequate, but steeping cream with real vanilla truly enhances the flavor of creme brulee, taking it to the next level. It's the difference between good and phenomenal.

Tip: Always keep unused vanilla bean in a sealed airtight plastic bag or container to retain its full flavor and aroma.