Black Bottom Crème Brûlée

There’s a reason crème brûlée is so often on restaurant menus: It tastes over-the-top decadent, but it’s actually fairly easy to make. It’s also a great opportunity to play with flavors, because you can infuse lots of them into the crème itself. I like to go the triple-layered route: one part crunchy caramel topping, one part silky-smooth custard, and one part melty dark chocolate ganache. Make this the next time you have a dinner party, and prepare for moans around the table.

Makes 6 servings

Difficulty: Medium

Make Ahead and Storage: The un-brûléed crèmes will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

1. Make the ganache: Place the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil over medium heat. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit, undisturbed, for 15 to 20 seconds, then stir, beginning in the center of the bowl with small circular motions and widening the circles until the ingredients are uniformly combined and the ganache is smooth.

2. Place six 6-ounce / ¾-cup ramekins or other individual baking dishes on a baking sheet. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the ganache into each ramekin and use a small offset spatula or the back of a teaspoon to spread it into an even layer. Let the ganache stand at room temperature until set.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the crème: Preheat the oven to 325°F / 162°C. Heat a large kettle of water to barely simmering (you can use a pot, but it’s a lot easier to pour from a kettle).

4. Combine 181 g / ¾ cup of the cream with the sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean, add the seeds and pod to the pan, and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat.

5. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl.

6. When the cream mixture has come to a simmer, fish out the vanilla pod (dry it and use it to make vanilla sugar; see Pro Tip) and slowly pour the hot liquid into the yolks in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly. Whisk in the remaining 363 g / 1½ cups cream, mixing well.

7. Bake the custard: Transfer the custard to a container with a spout and pour it into the ganache-lined ramekins, filling each one to just below the rim. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven. Carefully pour enough hot water from the kettle into the baking sheet to come about one third of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the custards are set at the edges but still jiggly in the center, 45 to 55 minutes. Remove the custards from the water bath and cool to room temperature.

8. Caramelize the tops: Sprinkle 8 g / 2 teaspoons of the sugar over each cooled custard and tap and tilt the ramekin to help coat the surface evenly. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar (at first the sugar will melt, and then it will begin to brown—you’re aiming for an even amber color over the entire surface; see Piping Mousse and Custard for tips). Serve immediately!

✻ Why It Works

Heating only a portion of the cream to dissolve the sugar means that when you add the remaining cream, it gently cools down the custard, preventing it from melting the ganache too much when you add it to the ramekins and helping to ensure nice clean layers.

★ Pro Tip

Traditional crème brûlée can be refrigerated until ready to serve and then caramelized right before serving. Chilling this version will set the chocolate layer firmly. Here’s how to resoften it: Just before you caramelize the sugar, use the kitchen torch to warm up the bottom of each dish, or dip each dish in hot water for a few minutes.