Crème brûlée is child's play

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 400 ml milk
• 90 g sugar
• 1 vanilla pod(s)
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 egg(s)
• 200 ml cream

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 20 minutes

All variants reduced to the simplest denominator

You will need 6 suitable crème brûlée dishes made of heat-resistant ceramic or porcelain and a deep baking tray or, better yet, a suitable casserole dish, which you then place on the oven rack. All of the dishes for the cream must fit. Fill the tray or casserole dish on the middle shelf with boiling water (caution: risk of scalding!) to a depth of about 1-2 cm and preheat the oven to 180°C. The oven must have reached this temperature when you place the dishes in the oven, otherwise the cream may not set. Leave the dishes outside for the time being. Heat the milk with the sugar and the vanilla pod, which has been cut open lengthwise, and let it steep over medium heat for about 15 minutes; do not let it boil. Whisk the egg yolks with the egg and cream. Remove the vanilla pod from the milk, scrape out the seeds, and add to the milk. Then slowly stir the hot milk into the cream. Now pour the mixture into the crème brûlée molds. Place some kitchen paper in the water bath in the oven and place the molds on top. If necessary, add a little more boiling water to the water bath; the water level should be just as high as the mixture in the molds. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 120°C and let the cream set for about 35-40 minutes; it will firm up even more as it cools. Then remove from the oven, let it cool, and refrigerate for a while, at least 2-3 hours; the colder the cream, the better. Before serving, sprinkle the mixture about 2-3 mm thick with white(!) sugar, preferably caster sugar, and caramelize it either under the oven broiler (it’s best to preheat the broiler until it’s glowing, and do this with the oven door open if possible) or using a suitable blowtorch. Let it cool briefly and serve as soon as possible.