Cold-Oven Crème Brûlée

Ingredients

• 5 egg yolks (Large eggs; yolks only)
• 0.5 cup granulated sugar (For the custard)
• 1.5 cup heavy cream (Use equal parts heavy cream and half-and-half)
• 1.5 cup half-and-half (Use equal parts half-and-half and heavy cream)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 0.125 tsp fine salt (A small pinch)
• 0.25 cup granulated sugar (For brûléeing the chilled custards)
• water (Enough to thoroughly wet a clean kitchen towel; used to insulate the ramekin bottoms)

Steps

1. 1

   Set a clean kitchen towel in a large baking dish and thoroughly wet it. Arrange four or five ramekins on top of the towel so their bottoms are insulated from the baking dish.

2. 2

   In a saucepan, combine the heavy cream and half-and-half. Warm over medium heat until steaming and hot but not boiling. Remove from the heat.

3. 3

   In a mixing bowl, gently whisk the egg yolks, the first measure of sugar, vanilla, and salt only until combined. Do not whisk vigorously; incorporating too much air can create a dry, foamy layer on the baked custards.

4. 4

   Gradually whisk the hot dairy into the yolk mixture in a thin stream until smooth. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any coagulated egg or foam.

5. 5

   Divide the custard evenly among the prepared ramekins. Carefully transfer the baking dish to the oven while the oven is still cold.

6. 6

   Set the oven to 275°F (135°C) and bake for about 1 hour, or until the custards are set around the edges and still slightly jiggly in the centers. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should register approximately 170°F (77°C).

7. 7

   Remove the ramekins from the baking dish and let the custards cool. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days.

8. 8

   When ready to serve, uncover the chilled custards and evenly sprinkle the remaining sugar over the surfaces.

9. 9

   Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar, moving the flame continuously until the topping is deeply golden and glassy. Refrigerate the brûléed custards uncovered and serve within about 1 hour.

Notes

The source states that the custards may be baked, cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Once the sugar is caramelized, they should be held uncovered in the refrigerator for no more than about 1 hour. For shallow restaurant-style crème brûlée dishes, reduce baking time to 30–35 minutes and use about 1½ teaspoons sugar per dish for brûléeing. If doubling the recipe, use a rimmed baking sheet lined with the wet towel to hold the ramekins. The ingredient quantities were reconstructed because the accessible page excerpt was membership-gated and did not display the full ingredient list.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• French
• baked
• make-ahead
• custard
• vegetarian
• holiday
• torch-finished