Cold-Oven Crème Brûlee

Made the classic way, yolk-rich crème brûlée is baked gently in a water bath. But we found we could skip the fuss of that by simply starting the custards in a cold oven. We pour the mixture into ramekins set on a wet towel in a baking dish to insulate the bottoms, then slip them into a cold oven and only then set the temperature to a cool 275°F. In about an hour, the custards are done. We also took a lighter approach to the notoriously rich dessert by using equal parts heavy cream and half-and-half instead of only cream. The custards can be baked, cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to three days. After the sugar is brûléed, they will hold, uncovered, in the refrigerator for only about an hour. A digital instant-read thermometer is the best way of testing the doneness of the custards. You will also need a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar. This recipe can be doubled; use a rimmed baking sheet lined with the wet towel to hold the ramekins. Lastly, if you opt for shallow crème brûlée dishes—the kind used in restaurants—reduce the baking time to 30 to 35 minutes and, when brûléeing, sprinkle the surface of each with about 1½ teaspoons sugar.