1/2cuppure maple syrup, Grade B or Amber recommended
4largeegg yolks
1Tablespoonpure vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
For topping:
white granulated sugar, brown sugar, turbinado sugar or maple sugar, *see Note 1 below
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F. (regular bake setting/not fan-assisted)
Place ramekins into a high-sided baking or large roasting pan large enough to hold them all flat. *For best results, use all the same size ramekins and fill them to the same level. That way they will all cook consistently.
In a medium bowl, mix together the egg yolks and vanilla with a fork or slowly with a whisk (don't whisk vigorously, as you don't want to mix air into them). Set aside.
In a saucepan, combine the heavy cream and maple syrup and heat over medium heat until small bubbles appear around the edge of the pan. Remove from heat and transfer to a large measuring cup or something with a spout, for easy pouring.
Very, very slowly (a drop at a time, to start), add the hot cream mixture to the egg yolk mixture, continuously stirring while adding. Increase to a slow, steady stream, while still stirring continuously, until all the cream mixture is added. If you've been patient enough, you should have a perfectly smooth custard. If you have lumps in the mixture, it was added too quickly and a bit of the egg cooked. If this happens, run the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the lumps. This is not ideal, but it will fix it.
Divide the mixture between the ramekins. Fill a large container with a spout for pouring with hot tap water. Pour hot water into the pan, adding water to the pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Carefully transfer the pan to the oven and bake custards for 25-30 minutes, checking regularly after about 20 minutes. Test custards by gently jiggling the baking pan and observing how the custard moves. If it still looks quite liquid, let cook a few minutes more then test again. They are ready when they are just barely set, but still quite jiggly (they will firm up a bit more as they cool and chill.)
Remove from the oven. Allow the custards to sit in the water bath 5 minutes, then use oven mitts to carefully transfer the ramekins to a cooling rack to cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.
When close to ready to serve, brûlée to custards. Remove from the fridge and sprinkle with a thin layer of sugar. Use a kitchen torch to melt the sugar by moving the torch around the top about 1" away from the sugar. Once melted, add another thin layer of sugar and repeat. Continue adding another layer or two until you have a nice layer of melted sugar. Continue torching the melted sugar until the sugar becomes golden/amber coloured. Return the custards to the fridge for 10-15 minutes before serving so the topping will harden up. *Once brûléed, you can leave them in the fridge for only about 2 hours before serving, as the topping will start to soften if chilled any longer.
If you don't have a kitchen torch, you can use your oven broiler. Sprinkle sugar on top of custard. Place ramekins onto a baking sheet. Place on a rack about 4-6 inches from the heat source. Allow to heat about 5-6 minutes, watching closely, or until golden and melted. Transfer to the fridge for 10-15 minutes to set the topping. *You can keep in the fridge no longer than 2 hours after topping, as the sugar will start to soften if kept any longer.
Notes
Note 1: For the topping, granulated white sugar will produce the classic, crack-with-a-spoon topping. Brown sugar produces a bit softer topping, but has a nice flavour. Brown sugar tends to work well if using the broiler however, as it melts evenly. Turbinado is sometimes used, but it requires more torching to melt well. If you happen to have maple sugar, it would be a nice choice here.