Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée

I will be honest, it was a bit of a pain to make. Particularly making the vanilla bean paste. But, the food processor I used was a small, cheap one. I’m planning to get myself a better, full-size food processor. And I’m hoping that will make this better.

But, if you don’t want to make the vanilla bean paste, you can buy vanilla bean paste at the grocery store instead. However, it is pretty expensive. From what I’ve seen, it looks like it’s about 25-30 dollars for a small bottle.

Tommy really liked this Crème Brûlée, and he has asked that I make it again for his birthday in May. So I will definitely be investing in a better food processor. And I’m hoping that the next time making it will be better. Even though it was a good bit of effort to make, the custard itself had a delicious flavor! We both really enjoyed it.

So where do we start? Crème Brûlée does not require all that many ingredients. Most of them you would already have in your pantry. You just need to make sure you have the heavy cream, vanilla beans, and agave nectar.

In addition to the ingredients shown above, you will also need some small ramekins to hold your custard. I would also recommend a butane torch to caramelize the sugar. However, if you don't have a butane torch, you can use the broiler in your oven instead.

We need to start by making the vanilla bean paste. I chopped the vanilla beans into small pieces so that the food processor could break them down faster. Then, add the vanilla beans, agave nectar, and vanilla to the food processor. Run the food processor until the vanilla beans are broken down and the mixture is mostly smooth. Then strain the mixture into a small bowl so that you can remove the larger vanilla bean pieces. Press down on the remaining vanilla bean pieces in order to press out as much liquid as possible. Set the vanilla bean paste aside for future use.

In a small pot over low heat, stir together the heavy cream and salt. Heat until the mixture is hot, but not boiling. Then remove the pot from the heat and mix in 1 tablespoon of the vanilla bean paste.

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture is lightened. With the mixer on low speed, very slowly pour the heated cream mixture into the egg/sugar mixture.

Divide the custard mixture evenly between 4 small ramekins. Then place the ramekins in an oven-safe baking dish. Fill the baking dish with warm water until it reaches halfway up the ramekins.

Bake the custard for 40-45 minutes, until the custard is mostly set, and the center barely jiggles. Remove the ramekins from the water, and allow them to cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Then transfer the ramekins to the refrigerator and allow them to chill at least 3-4 hours.

Immediately before serving, remove the ramekins from the fridge. Top each one with about ½ teaspoon of sugar. You want to spread the sugar out so that a very thin layer of sugar covers the entire top of the custard. Then use a butane torch to caramelize the sugar. I always struggle with getting the sugar to melt and caramlize evenly. Some spots always get darker than others. But it will get better with practice. You want the sugar to turn an amber color. Once it is melted and amber in color, turn off the torch and allow it to sit for just a minute. The sugar will harden, and you will have the distinctive crunchy top to your crème brûlée.

If you don’t have a butane torch, place the ramekins under the broiler in your oven. You will need to watch them closely to make sure the sugar is not burning. Once the sugar is melted, remove them from the oven.