What to bake this weekend: Bitter almond crème brûlée

Bitter almond crème brûlée
Serves 8 

Preparation: 20 minutes 

Chilling: 1 hour 

Cooking: 55 minutes 

Ingredients 

• 10 egg yolks 
• Generous 1 cup (225 g) granulated sugar 
• 2 cups (500 ml) milk 
• 2 cups (500 ml) whipping cream, min. 35% fat 
• 1 vanilla bean 
• A few drops of bitter almond extract 
• A little brown sugar, for caramelizing

Method

1. In a round-bottomed mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together energetically until the mixture thickens and becomes pale. Pour in the milk and whipping cream. Whisk together and add the seeds from the vanilla bean. Flavour with the bitter almond extract. 
2. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for about 1 hour. 
3. Preheat the oven to 200°F (100°C). 
4. Strain the liquid through a chinois and pour it into eight small crème brûlée dishes or ramekins. Bake for 45–50 minutes. Test for doneness: the tip of a knife should come out clean. 
5. Allow the crèmes to cool. Just before serving them, set your oven to broil. Sprinkle the top of each one with brown sugar. Caramelize them briefly in the oven, or use a caramelizing iron, and serve.

Extracted from The Complete Book of French Cooking by Hubert Delorme and Vincent Boué (Flammarion, 2023). Photography by Clay McLachlan.