Classic Crème Brûlée

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1. 1Step 1: Preheat the oven to 300 F (150 C). Place a cloth towel on the bottom of a roasting pan and arrange six 5 oz. (150 ml) ramekins on the towel. You don't want the dishes to touch each other or the side of the pan. The towel keeps everything in place and prevents sliding when removing the pan from the oven. If you are steady of hand, you can forgo the towel. Just be careful when pulling the tray in and out of the oven.
2. 2Step 2: Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl. If you are using vanilla extract, add it now. If you are using a vanilla bean, split it lengthwise with a knife and scrape out its seeds and place in a small bowl to add to the egg mixture after you strain the custard in step 4. If I think of it, I infuse the vanilla bean into the cream the night before and then strain it out. Whisk the eggs to break them up. Add the powdered sugar and a pinch of salt, and whisk until uniform.
3. 3Step 3: Add a drizzle of the cream and whisk it into the egg/sugar mixture. Blend. Then add the rest of the cream and whisk until smooth.
4. 4Step 4: Strain the custard through a fine-mesh strainer. You can also use a piece of cheesecloth doubled. Or if you have a yogurt strainer, that works well too. Strain the custard right into a container that has a spout, such a large liquid measuring cup, making it easier to fill the ramekins.
5. 5Step 5: Fill each baking cup near to the top with the custard. You don't want a lot of empty space between the surface of the custard and the top of the ramekin.
6. 6Step 6: Place the baking pan on the rack in the preheated oven. Pour boiling water into the baking pan without getting any water into the ramekins. Fill until the water reaches 1/2 way up the side of the baking cups.
7. 7Step 7: If the dish is less than 1 inch deep, bake for 30 minutes. If the custard is 2 inches deep, bake for 50-60 minutes. You want your custard to jiggle from side to side but not liquid in the center.
8. 8Step 8: Use tongs to remove the ramekins from the water bath and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve. They will firm up quite a bit while they chill.
9. 9Step 9: Remove ramekins from the refrigerator and gently dab the tops with a paper towel to remove any moisture. Sprinkle the tops with a fine layer of turbinado sugar if you have it. Regular granulated sugar will work too. The key is for the sugar to be an even layer. Shake the ramekins back and forth to distribute the sugar evenly. Tap out any excess. You want to be able to see the custard through the thin layer of sugar.
10. 10Step 10: If you don't have a kitchen torch, arrange a rack in the oven in the highest position. Place the ramekins on the rack and turn on the broiler. Putting the ramekins in a cold oven, then turning on the broiler keeps the custard cool while getting the top crisp. Broil for 5 to 10 minutes, rotating them frequently so that they broil evenly. Take them out when they are golden brown and bubbling. It takes about 5 minutes for the sugar to set. Then refrigerate for 30 minutes (any longer than that and the sugar crust goes soft - ew). Serve cold in the summer. Or serve warm from the oven in winter.