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Creme brulee

Creme brulee is a dessert that requires good ingredients and a perfect technique. In this case, it is the technique that makes the difference between the ordinary and the sublime.

That makes the recipe look long, but the precise descriptions can help you avoid the pitfalls of creme brulee. And there are several: The custard can turn out grainy or watery. It can curdle. The brown sugar can scorch or turn out limp.

None of those things will happen if you follow this recipe. It came from The Phoenix Restaurant in Cincinnati, years ago, when Jimmy Gibson was the chef.

The custards can be made a day in advance and refrigerated - without the brown sugar glaze - and finished at the last moment.

Makes 10 half-cup servings

THE CUSTARD:

3 cups whipping cream (not extra heavy whipping cream)

a few grains salt

1 1/2 vanilla beans*

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

7 egg yolks

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Put the cream in a heavy, non-aluminum saucepan. Split the vanilla beans lengthwise and dislodge the seeds with the tip of a knife. Add the vanilla beans, including the seeds, the salt and vanilla extract to the cream. Heat over medium heat, stirring from time to time to prevent scorching. The cream should be very warm but not boiling.

Meanwhile beat the egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 minutes until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is thick and yellow.

Gradually add 1 cup of the warm cream to the egg mixture and stir well. (It is important to warm the yolks slowly to prevent curdling; it's a process called tempering the eggs.) Add the remaining warm cream to the yolks and stir well. Remove vanilla beans and strain the custard through a medium-fine sieve into a mixing bowl.

THE WATER BATH: Professionals may be able to forego the water bath, but it is the home cook's insurance against curdled custard. The custards should be baked in a deep pan, with hot water two-thirds up the sides of the dishes.

Have the water almost boiling. Position individual ramekins (a size which hold about two-thirds cup is ideal) in the baking pan and use a half-cup measure to partly fill each one. Place the baking pan in a preheated 300-degree oven and carefully add the hot water around the ramekins. If necessary, remove one or two of the dishes from the pan so the water can be added more easily. Replace them in the pan.

Bake the custards for 50 minutes, until a knife inserted near the edge comes out clean. The center will still appear soft, but the custard continues to cook after it is removed from the oven.

Remove the custards from the water bath and let cool slightly on a rack. Refrigerate uncovered. (If covered, condensation will form on top, making it difficult to glaze.)

THE GLAZE: The choice is between brown and white sugar. If brown sugar is used, sift it several times to remove any lumps.

It is important the custards be well chilled, preferably refrigerated overnight. Sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar on each one, smoothing the surface with a finger until entirely covered with a thin layer of sugar, about 1/8-inch thick. Remove any excess.

While the preferred way to brown the sugar is with a kitchen propane torch, you can make do with an oven broiler.

Preheat the broiler, if your oven requires that. Place the custards on a broiling rack, as close to the broiler as possible. Check after 30 seconds. The sugar should melt and brown. It may take as much as 90 seconds to caramelize. If left too long the sugar may burn and the custard curdle.

Remove from the broiler and serve immediately.

Never refrigerate the caramelized creme brulee, for the crusty glaze becomes soggy. In fact, it will soften if allowed to sit at room temperature for long.