Mastering French crème brûlée

The custard

• Heat heavy cream with a split, scraped vanilla bean until it just steams; or add extract after heating
• Whisk egg yolks with sugar and a pinch of salt
• Slowly pour the warm cream into the yolks while whisking
• Strain into ramekins and skim off any foam

Baking

Set the ramekins in a baking dish, add hot water halfway up their sides and bake at about 300–325°F until the edges are set and the centers still wobble, roughly 30–40 minutes. Chill at least 4 hours.

The brûlée

Sprinkle a thin, even layer of sugar over each cold custard and torch until amber and bubbling. Let it sit a minute to harden into glass.