serves 8
4 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Pinch of salt
8 egg yolks
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup turbinado sugar, divided, for glazing (see Note)
Preheat oven to 300°F. Combine cream with vanilla bean and salt in a medium saucepan and simmer over medium heat until surface begins to shimmer, about 5 minutes.
Beat egg yolks and granulated sugar with a wooden spoon in a large heatproof bowl. Slowly pour in hot cream mixture, stirring gently. Strain custard through a mesh sieve into a large measuring cup; skim off any bubbles.
Arrange 8 shallow 4 1/2-inch-wide ramekins in a roasting pan (see Note above). Slowly pour custard into ramekins, filling almost to top. Set roasting pan in center of oven and carefully pour in enough hot water to reach halfway up sides of ramekins. Cover pan loosely with foil and bake until custards are firm at the edges but still a bit wobbly in the center, about 1 hour.
Transfer ramekins to a wire rack to cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
Preheat broiler to high. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and gently blot surfaces of custards to remove any condensation. Using a small sieve, sift 2 teaspoons of turbinado sugar over each custard in a thin, even layer, tilting ramekins for an even layer of sugar. Broil custards as close to heat as possible until sugar is evenly caramelized, 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Let cool slightly until sugar hardens and serve at once.
Crème brûlée, a classic French dessert, is a custard beloved for its crisp sugar topping. It features a crunchy caramel layer on top of a rich and decadent custard. The moment the spoon cracks the top to expose the creamy custard is our favorite part of eating this dessert.
Note
If you are using deeper 3/4-cup ramekins, bake the custards for about 20 minutes longer and reduce the sugar topping to 1 teaspoon per custard.
While this recipe is excellent as-is, it can be easily augmented by placing a fresh raspberry or two to three blueberries at the bottom of the ramekin for a fruity surprise underneath the custard. Add citrus zest or try adding one tablespoon of a spirit like Grand Marnier to the custard before adding it to the ramekin.