Coffee Crème Brûlée

The ultimate dessert for the senses. The aroma of caramelized sugar as the surface is scorched with a bright flame, observing bubbling sugars over a sweet custard base, the sound of the spoon cracking the hardened surface, and the delightful texture of creamy custard mixed with bits of caramel. The only way to make it better? Infuse it with coffee :)

What you’ll need

• 375 g cold milk brew (75 g coffee, 150 g water, 350 g whole milk)
• 8-12 ramekins (custard will be divided evenly, exact number will depend on the size used)
• 375 g heavy cream
• 150 g white sugar
• 120 g egg yolk (~6 large/extra-large eggs)
  
• 1 L boiling water
• Blow torch (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Combine the cold milk brew ingredients and refrigerate for 18 hours. Note: although the combined ingredients weigh more than 375 g, the final weight of cold milk brew once strained will be in this range (and if short, can be topped up with heavy cream)
2. Strain the cold milk brew and let sit for 30-60 mins to allow the sediment to settle, pouring the final brew into a separate container, leaving the sediment behind
3. Preheat oven to 300 F
4. Bring 1L of water to a boil
5. In a medium pot, on low-medium heat, mix the cold milk brew, heavy cream and half of the sugar and bring to a very light simmer
6. While this mixture is heating, in a bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar without whipping (in order to avoid making foam/air bubbles)
7. When the milk-cream mixture has reached a very light simmer, gradually pour into the egg yolks in a small steady stream while whisking lightly, avoiding excessive bubbles
8. Divide the mixture into your desired ramekins (you may spoon any bubbles from the mixture if you want a smooth top) 
9. Place ramekins in a large baking pan with tall edges (if you don’t have a pan large enough, bake them in multiple pans.) Carefully fill the pan with the hot water from the kettle to about 1/3-1/2 of the height of the ramekins
10. Bake until edges are set (firm) and the middles are jiggly (they will shake lightly back and forth but not act like liquid at this point). If you have a good quick-read thermometer, they will be set once the centres reach at least 77 Celsius. Depending on the size of the ramekins, this may take 25-35 minutes. You can start checking at 25 minutes
11. Remove the tray from the oven, remove the ramekins from the tray, and place them on a cooling rack. Let cool at room temperature for about an hour before lightly covering with cling wrap and placing in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours (ideally overnight)
12. Once you are ready to serve, remove ramekins from the fridge and place an even layer of sugar over the surface of each.
13. Torch lightly until caramelized using a blow torch, or use the broil setting on your oven
14. Allow the surface to cool for a hard caramel surface, serve, and enjoy!