Crème brûlée for tomorrow

The King Arthur Test Kitchen card lists 20 minutes hands-on, a bake of 28 to 35 minutes, and a total of 1 hour 48 minutes, for 4 servings. The instructions then say to cool the custards completely and refrigerate them “1 to 2 hours, or up to overnight; no need to cover.” Overnight does not fit inside 1 hour 48 minutes. From the card alone, it is not clear whether that total already includes the 1 to 2 hour chill.

The headnote says the dessert is ideal for preparing ahead and caramelizing the sugar just before serving. For the easiest caramelizing, the recipe uses a torch until the sugar is a deep golden brown. The broiler is the other option: “a broiler element can turn sugar from browned to burned quickly.” The page gives no broiler time and no distance from the element.

The custards bake in a water bath, in 1/2-cup ramekins about 2 inches tall, until set but still a bit jiggly in the center, about 30 minutes. The topping sugar is granulated or coarse sparkling sugar.

Genevieve Yam's card lists 1 hour 15 minutes prep, 45 minutes cook, 4 hours 30 minutes cooling, and 6 hours 30 minutes total, for 6 servings. The method says to cool the custards about 1 hour, then refrigerate them uncovered for at least 4 hours. The make-ahead note says the custards can be made up to 2 days ahead, still uncovered. Starting from scratch, the card's own total is 6 hours 30 minutes.

She treats the chill as what lets the custard stand up to the flame: “It is crucial to chill your custards.” Before caramelizing, she lets them stand 20 minutes at room temperature so they are cool rather than refrigerator-cold. That is her serving preference. The sugar goes on right before serving. In the essay she writes, “Avoid torching your crème brûlées in advance,” because over 20 to 30 minutes the topping melts into a puddle. The make-ahead note is stricter and slightly different: after 20 minutes, the crisp topping will soften and liquify. The page prints both clocks. We have not timed a crust.

A torch is her recommended tool. Her method passes the flame 1 to 2 inches from the surface, and she says how close and how long depends on the strength of the torch. On the broiler, the essay and the note do not match. The essay says the sugar melted unevenly over a lengthy 7 minutes, the crust was less crisp than the torched ones, and the custards warmed enough that another minute or two would have worried her about curdling. The note says to set a rack 3 to 4 inches from the flame and broil about 5 minutes, because broiler strength varies and the sugar may burn if left unattended. Her summary: “A broiler is an acceptable alternative if you don’t have a blowtorch, but it's a higher risk one, with less even results.”

On the custard itself, the custards she baked with no water bath “bubbled away aggressively and resulted in a curdled mess.” The ones in a water bath set. For doneness, the essay says the center should read between 170ºF and 180ºF; the method says about 35 minutes and 175ºF to 178ºF. The card's cook time is 45 minutes. Too much topping sugar, she writes, makes a thick crust that takes longer to caramelize, which risks curdling or burning the custard. Too little leaves a thin crust. She prefers raw sugar and calls granulated sugar the lower-risk substitute, because raw sugar takes longer to melt and can overbrown.

The same page cites Harold McGee and Cindy Mushet. We did not read those books. The doneness temperatures and the water-bath result above are Yam's, as printed on her recipe.

Sally McKenney's card lists 15 minutes prep, 35 minutes cook, and a total of 4 hours 50 minutes, for 8 servings. The method also says to cool the custards at least 1 hour, then chill them, loosely covered, for at least 4 hours and up to 2 days before the sugar goes on. Her overview says the same chill can be overnight, and she calls that a make-ahead dessert. Her notes add two earlier holds: the unbaked custard mixture can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day before baking, and the baked custards can be made up to 2 days ahead.

The sugar is a thin layer of granulated sugar over the whole surface. She tested superfine and coarse sugar and stayed with granulated. Leave a bare spot, she writes, and “When applied to heat, the cooled custard will curdle.” Caramelize with a kitchen torch and serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour. She adds: “Caramelized topping is best enjoyed right away.”

With no torch, her note says to broil on high, ramekins on a baking sheet on a rack directly under the broiler, until the sugar is caramelized. “Keep a close eye on it.” She gives no minute count and no rack position beyond “directly under the broiler.”

She calls a water bath imperative for the texture. “A regular hot oven typically produces rubber-y tasting crème brûlée with cracked surfaces.” Bake time follows the ramekins: hers are 1 inch deep and take 35 minutes, and she says to begin checking at 30. The centers should still jiggle. For a thermometer, she says they are done at 170°F (77°C). She also writes that a first try is often over-baked, which is what happened on hers.

The page says the recipe is adapted from Allrecipes and Mark Bittman. We read this version, not those earlier ones.