After trying what seemed like a million recipes, I finally put together this one from which I have been able to get consistently excellent results. I know the straining step is a bit annoying, but it really makes a difference. The biggest reason I developed this recipe is because I have had problems with the traditional water bath method. Although, when the water bath method works, it's very good. The other issue with the water bath method is that embedding items like Nutella can be tricky because they have to cook with the cream and that doesn't always work correctly.
Makes 6 4 oz servings
6 egg yolks
2 c heavy cream
2 t vanilla or 1 t plus 1 half vanilla bean
6 T sugar
Nutella or berries (optional)
1. Whisk sugar, vanilla, and egg yolks
2. Cut vanilla bean in half and scrape out seeds into cream. Put the bean husk into the cream as well. Heat the cream in a double boiler, stirring gently until almost boiling. Discard the bean husk. Pour half the cream into the sugar/egg mixture.
3. Mix half the cream into the sugar and eggs until incorporated and then add everything back to the cream in the double boiler. Mix gently till incorporated.
4. Continue to heat the mixture until it becomes thick. Stir gently and constantly. Do not boil! As you stir and the mixture thickens - it will either look grainy or sometimes it may look a little like it’s becoming runny scrambled eggs.
5. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth and pour into ramekins. If you are using berries or Nutella, place a small amount of cream on the bottom of the ramekin and then add about 1 T of Nutella or berries. Then cover completely.
6. Chill well for at least 6 hours. Overnight is OK.
7. Sprinkle sugar over the top and torch until caramelized. Chill again until the ramekins are cool to the touch.
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