Creme Brulee, Take 2

After trying out creme brulee, I managed to find this great video about making the dessert, and learned a few things. This next recipe is much more brulee-like (I know, I know, brulee refers to the hard top, but you know what I mean), whereas the last one was more of a flan.

Ingredients (makes 6 servings ~125mL each):
500mL whipping cream
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla


Method:
Preheat oven to 300F. Use the rack just under middle.
Boil some water.
Meanwhile, scald the cream on medium-low heat. (Warm to about 50 degrees Celsius)
While that is happening, in a bowl, whisk by hand the yolks and sugar, then add in the vanilla.
Mix in the warmed cream to the mixture, being careful to not cook the eggs. Do this by whisking in a little amount, or whisking in a steady stream of liquid.
Strain into a pitcher to remove lumps and for easy pouring.
Skim off the foam. A neat trick is to torch the top, and the foam breaks up.
Place ramekins into a baking dish. I used a 9x13 pyrex. Fill the dish halfway up the ramekins with the boiling water. If you are using a metal pan, place a towel on the bottom, then fill with water for a more insulating effect.
Pour the cream into the ramekins. Try to distribute evenly.
Bake for 25-45 minutes, until the sides have set, but the centre is wobbly.
Remove from oven and let sit in the bath for 15 minutes before removing and cooling.
Cover and chill for 4 hours.

Generously sprinkle sugar onto the custard. Tilt the ramekin to evenly coat the top and shake off the excess sugar. Clean the sides of the ramekin of sugar.

Torch the sugar until it starts to bubble, stop and wait a few seconds, then re-torch to get even browning.

Comments:
Watch the video, seriously.

I used 300F instead of 325F because I saw it on another website, and I suspect my oven runs pretty hot because it's fairly new and efficient.

I don't order creme brulee in restaurants, but this one's consistency is like those white chocolate-milk chocolate pudding cups at Griffins. I might experiment a bit to see if I can imitate the pudding ^^.

You can use a lighter cream, but the consistency might be a little less smooth.


Verdict:
Yum! And way less wasteful than the other recipe.