Crème brûlée

To prepare the crème brûlée, first pour the milk and cream into a saucepan 1, add the vanilla bean  and seeds 2. Bring it gently to a boil. Meanwhile, put the yolks in a bowl with the sugar 3.

Gently mix the yolks with a whisk (or wooden ladle), making sure not to beat them to make them frothy 4. When the milk and cream mixture has come to a boil, remove the vanilla bean, and pour the mixture little by little into the bowl with the yolks 5, stirring continuously to obtain a homogeneous mixture 6. It will be very runny.

Place 6 ramekins with a capacity of 2/3 cup (150 ml) in a high-sided baking tray. Fill the cocottes with the mixture, which you have previously filtered with a strainer 7. Pour boiling water into the pan until it covers one-third of the height of the ramekin 8, to bake the cream in a bain-marie. Cook in a static oven preheated to 285° F (140° C) for about 70 minutes, until the surface is golden brown and compact 9.

Once the ramekins are out of the oven, sprinkle the surface with sugar 10 and use a blowtorch to obtain a crunchy, caramelized crust 11. Alternatively, you can put the ramekins in the oven under the grill for a few minutes. Your crème brûlée is ready to be enjoyed 12!