The Best Crème Brûlée

The secret to making the smoothest restaurant quality crème brûlée at home is not the recipe, but the technique.

Sous Vide in a sealed mason jar at 174 degrees for 1 hour, then chill for 2 hours, that's it.

The key factor that makes the liquid set into a smooth custard is getting as much water around the custard as possible, this will ensure the crème sets gradually and evenly.

If you don't have a sous vide, you can achieve similar results by cooking the custard in a bain-marie (fancy French term for a water bath).

To do this, place the ramekins or jars in a rimmed baking sheet, roasting pan, or my favorite a 9 x 13 rectangular cake pan. Now, this part is important; fill the pan with water to just above the level of the custard in the container. You want enough water to simulate enveloping the container like in a sous vide. Then cook at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes, then chill for 2 hours.

The bain-marie is the second best method because the water will evaporate out of the pan, and there is also the potential to overcook the exposed top, creating a thick skin.

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