My dad is a huge food lover, and when my mum sets something he likes in front of him, he claps his hands together and says, “Oh baby—oh yeah!” Make him something good, and he will love you forever. Crème brûlée is his absolute favorite dessert and I love watching him crack the caramel with the back of his spoon, a huge childlike smile on his face. I have made a lot of crème brûlée at almost every job I’ve ever had, but nothing compares to the taste and texture of my mum’s recipe right here.
Makes 6 crème brûlées
1 Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Set a large deep baking dish aside and bring a kettle of water to a boil.
2 Pour the cream into a medium saucepan, scrape the vanilla seeds into the cream, and add the pod. Bring the cream to a simmer over low heat.
3 Remove from the heat and let the flavors infuse for 20 minutes.
4 In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. While whisking, slowly pour in the warm cream.
5 Pass your custard through a sieve to remove any lumps. Rinse off the vanilla pod and save it for another use.
6 Divide the custard among six 4-ounce ramekins. Place the ramekins in the large, deep baking dish. Carefully pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. (Take care not to get any water in the ramekins.) Carefully transfer the baking dish to the oven.
7 Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the custards are set around the edge but still have a slight jiggle in the middle. Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and remove the ramekins from the water; let the custards cool completely.
8 Cover and refrigerate the custards for at least 4 hours. They will firm up once cold.
9 When ready to serve, sprinkle about 1 tablespoon sugar evenly over the top of each custard. With a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar on top until it reaches a deep golden brown color.
10 Enjoy the crème brûlée just as it is. If you have any left over, store in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days.
Note
If you do not have a kitchen torch, set the ramekins on a baking sheet and slide them under the broiler. Broil until the sugar has caramelized on top. Just be careful that your brûlées don’t get too warm under the flame, or the custards will become very soft.