Velvety Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée

1. Preheat Oven

Begin by preheating your oven to 300°F, ensuring the oven rack is in the middle position, which provides even heating.

2. Prepare Vanilla Bean

Take the vanilla bean and, using a paring knife, split it lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds and put both the seeds and the bean into a medium saucepan.

3. Heat Cream Mixture

Add 2 cups of the heavy cream, the granulated sugar, and a pinch of salt to the saucepan with the vanilla bean. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it just reaches a boil. Once it starts boiling, remove it from the heat and let it steep for 15 minutes.

4. Prepare Baking Dish

While the mixture is steeping, prepare a baking dish or roasting pan by placing a dish towel at the bottom. Arrange 8 ramekins on the towel and set a kettle of water to boil.

5. Cool Cream Mixture

After the cream has steeped, stir in the remaining 2 cups of heavy cream to cool the mixture slightly.

6. Whisk Egg Yolks

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they are a uniform color.

7. Combine Cream and Yolks

Gradually whisk the warm cream mixture into the egg yolks, a little at a time, to avoid cooking the eggs. Strain this mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a large measuring cup or bowl to remove any solids.

8. Fill Ramekins

Divide the custard evenly among the ramekins. Carefully pour the boiling water into the baking dish, around the ramekins, until the water reaches about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

9. Bake Custards

Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the custards are set but still a bit jiggly in the center. The ideal temperature of the custard should be between 170 to 175°F.

10. Cool Custards

Once baked, remove the ramekins from the water bath and let them cool on a wire rack for about 2 hours.

11. Chill Custards

After cooling to room temperature, cover the ramekins with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 4 hours, or up to 4 days.

12. Prepare for Serving

When you're ready to serve, uncover the ramekins and gently blot any moisture off the surface with a paper towel.

13. Caramelize Sugar

Sprinkle about 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of turbinado sugar evenly over each custard. Using a butane or propane torch, carefully caramelize the sugar until it forms a hard, glossy crust.

14. Final Chill and Serve

For the best texture contrast, refrigerate the caramelized custards for another 30 to 45 minutes before serving.