Crème Brûlée

The Story

The name means burnt cream, and French cookbooks have printed a version of it since the late 1600s. England and Spain have their own old custards with a hard sugar top, and all three countries still argue over who made it first.

Paris made it famous. It turns up on the menu of almost every bistro in the city, served in a shallow dish so there is plenty of crackly top for every spoonful of cold, creamy custard underneath.

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Set six 4-ounce (120 ml) ramekins in a baking dish with sides at least 2 inches (5 cm) high.
2. Pour the cream into a saucepan. Split the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds into the cream and drop in the pod. Heat until small bubbles form at the edge, then take it off the heat and let it steep for 15 minutes. If you use extract, skip the steeping and add it in the next step.
3. Whisk the egg yolks, the 1/2 cup of sugar and the salt in a bowl until smooth and a little paler, about 1 minute.
4. Take out the vanilla pod. Pour the warm cream into the yolks in a thin stream, whisking all the time, so the eggs do not scramble. Stir in the extract now if you are using it.
5. Strain the custard through a fine sieve into a jug and skim off any foam. Divide it among the ramekins.
6. Set the dish in the oven and pour boiling water into it until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
7. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still wobble like gelatin when you nudge the dish.
8. Lift the ramekins out of the water and cool them for 30 minutes. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, or up to 2 days.
9. Just before serving, blot any moisture off the tops and sprinkle each with about 1 teaspoon of sugar in an even layer. Melt it with a kitchen torch, held a few inches away, until it is deep amber. No torch? Set the ramekins on a sheet pan close under a hot broiler for 1 to 3 minutes, watching the whole time.
10. Let the sugar harden for 2 minutes, then serve.