vanilla custard

Instructions

Start by placing a roasting pan on the middle rack of the oven and pour in water to approximately where the crème brûlée mixture will reach in the oven. It will be about 1 dl in each ramekin, so to check exactly, you can place the ramekins in, pour 1 dl of water into them, then water into the pan. Remove the serving ramekins and preheat the oven to 150°C.

Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add to a saucepan along with the cream and whole milk, add the pod as well. Gently heat this to boiling point. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together. Slowly pour the hot milk and cream mixture over the egg and sugar while constantly stirring with a whisk. Then return the mixture to the saucepan. This should now be heated to approximately 84-85°C, so good temperature control is essential here! It takes very little for it to start curdling, so stir in the pot with a spatula to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. Strain the mixture into a measuring jug and pour 1 dl into each of the heatproof ramekins. These should now be placed in the water bath in the oven and baked for 20-35 minutes. You can test for doneness when the mixture has set slightly (it should jiggle a bit but not look too loose).

Let the ramekins cool for at least 2 hours, preferably let them sit in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap (to avoid absorbing other odors) overnight. Just before serving, sprinkle about a tablespoon of demerara sugar on top and use a blowtorch until the sugar is caramelized. Serve with a coulis, some fresh berries, or coffee as this is a very sweet treat!