Crème brûlée

Scald the vanilla cream. Heat the cream with vanilla for 5 minutes until it reaches about 82 °C; do not boil hard. Tool or vessel: medium saucepan. Heat: medium-low. Temperature: about 82 °C. Readiness: The cream is steaming and small bubbles appear around the edge without a rolling boil. Why it matters: Scalding extracts vanilla and prepares tempering.

Infuse the vanilla. Remove the cream from the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Tool or vessel: covered saucepan. Heat: none. Temperature: warm. Readiness: The cream remains hot and carries a clear vanilla aroma without a cooked-milk skin being stirred into the custard. Why it matters: A short covered infusion develops vanilla before tempering.

Mix the yolks and sugar. Whisk the yolks with 80 g sugar for 2 minutes just until smooth, without deliberately aerating them. Tool or vessel: mixing bowl + whisk. Heat: none. Temperature: room temperature. Readiness: The yolk and sugar mixture is smooth and evenly coloured without a thick foam cap. Why it matters: Low aeration keeps the custard surface fine.

Temper and strain the custard. Pour the hot cream into the yolks in a thin stream while whisking continuously for 2 minutes, then strain into a jug. Tool or vessel: bowl, whisk, fine sieve, jug. Heat: none. Temperature: hot mixture about 70–75 °C. Readiness: The strained custard is fluid and free of cooked egg flecks. Why it matters: Gradual tempering and straining reduce curdling and surface bubbles.

Set up the shallow water bath. Divide the custard among six 9 cm wide × 3 cm deep ramekins to a fill depth of about 2 cm; place them in a roasting dish and add 1500 ml water at about 80 °C to reach halfway up the ramekin sides. Tool or vessel: six ramekins + roasting dish. Heat: none. Temperature: water about 80 °C. Readiness: The ramekins contain equal shallow layers and the bath reaches halfway up their sides without water entering the custard. Why it matters: A shallow, even fill supports uniform baking. Safety: Handle hot water carefully to avoid scalds.

Bake to the measured endpoint. Bake at 120 °C conventional heat for about 42 minutes; check the centre with a clean food thermometer and remove when it reaches 72 °C. Tool or vessel: water bath in oven + food thermometer. Heat: 120 °C conventional oven. Temperature: 120 °C oven; 72 °C custard centre. Readiness: The edges are set, the centre still trembles softly as one mass, and the thermometer reads 72 °C without signs of curdling. Why it matters: The measured endpoint clears the 71 °C safety minimum while preserving a soft set. Safety: Do not rely on wobble alone; verify at least 71 °C.

Cool and chill completely. Lift the ramekins from the water bath, cool uncovered for 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for 240 minutes at 4 °C or below. Tool or vessel: cooling rack + refrigerator. Heat: none. Temperature: ≤4 °C after initial cooling. Readiness: The custards are fully cold and firm enough to support a sugar crust while remaining creamy underneath. Why it matters: Full chilling sets the custard before caramelizing. Safety: Refrigerate at 4 °C or below after the initial cool.

Caramelise the cold custards. Just before serving, spread 5 g of the remaining sugar over each cold custard and caramelize with a kitchen torch for about 3 minutes total, moving the flame continuously. Tool or vessel: kitchen torch. Heat: direct torch heat. Temperature: surface caramelization. Readiness: The sugar forms a thin, glassy amber crust that cracks cleanly with a spoon, while the custard beneath stays cold. Why it matters: A thin sugar layer gives brittle contrast without reheating the custard excessively. Safety: keep the torch away from flammable materials and never torch alcohol.