Crème Caramel

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare the caramel. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour 100 g of sugar with 3 tablespoons of water. Cook over medium heat without stirring, simply tilting the pan to swirl. Cook until a beautiful amber color develops. Remove from heat, add the butter and stir. Immediately divide the caramel among 6 ramekins, tilting each one to coat the bottom.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Split the vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds. In a saucepan, heat the milk with the heavy cream, the vanilla bean and its seeds until just simmering (do not boil). Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean.

Step 3

In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the remaining 50 g of sugar until the mixture is homogeneous and slightly frothy, without whitening. Pour the hot vanilla milk in a thin stream over the egg-sugar mixture while whisking gently. Mix until smooth and uniform.

Step 4

Divide the mixture among the caramel-lined ramekins using a ladle. Place the ramekins in a large baking dish. Pour boiling water into the dish until it reaches halfway up the ramekins (water bath). Bake for 45 to 50 minutes — the custard should be set but still slightly jiggly in the center.

Step 5

Remove the ramekins from the water bath and let them cool completely at room temperature. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, ideally overnight. Chilling allows the caramel to liquefy and coat the custard.

Step 6

To serve, run a thin knife blade between the custard and the edge of the ramekin. Place an inverted plate on top of the ramekin and flip quickly with a confident motion. The liquid caramel will coat the custard. Serve well chilled, with a pinch of flaky sea salt on the caramel to enhance the flavors.