Crème Brûlée

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 325° F. Bring a kettle or pot of water to a boil—you’ll use this later for the water bath.
• In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream and salt. Warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches a gentle simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla bean paste.
• While the cream slightly cools, in a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 1/3 cup sugar until smooth and well combined.
• Slowly ladle the cream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to avoid scrambling the eggs.
• Once everything is mixed, divide the custard evenly into four 4-oz ramekins.
• Arrange the ramekins in a baking dish, deep enough to create a water bath. Carefully pour the boiling water into the dish until it reaches halfway up the ramekins.
• Carefully transfer the dish to the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the custard is set around the edges but still slightly jiggly in the center.
• Remove the ramekins from the water bath and place them on a rack to cool at room temperature for 1 hour. Once cooled, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
• When ready to serve, sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly over each custard, tilting to coat the surface. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar until golden brown.
• Let the tops harden for 1-2 minutes, then serve.