Crème Brûlée by the Spoonful

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F).
2. With the tip of a knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds.
3. In a saucepan, slowly heat the cream and vanilla seeds and pod, without boiling, for about 5 minutes. (This will release the vanilla’s flavour.) If using vanilla extract, add it to the warmed cream.
4. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks and the sugar. Whisk in the hot cream. Pour into three 150-ml (2/3-cup) ramekins.
5. Place the ramekins in a baking dish and add enough hot water to reach 3/4 of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for about 30 minutes. The water should barely simmer, never boil. Reduce the oven temperature and add water as needed.
6. Cool to room temperature then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Just before serving, scoop a small amount of the custard into attractive soup spoons. Sprinkle with sugar and caramelize quickly with a blowtorch. Serve immediately with coffee.