Secret recipe revealed for limited time!!

OK Folks, this will be here until Tim tells me to take it down. This creme brulee has made tens of millions of dollars and Tim is a very good teacher. I just spent a ridicules chunk of time documenting this recipe for my boss and wanted to have the effort go farther. So I'm sharing it with my wide and faithful readership (also tens of millions) Consider it a math task to reduce the recipe, if you don't have 25 guests coming for dessert. I tried to call Tim three times to see if I could share it with the world at large but that rascal doesn't answer the phone. So I'm guessing he wont mind....

Tim Barrette's Creme Brulee
Makes about 52 food service sized portions or 26 regular dessert portions
4 split vanilla beans
3 litres (or quarts) fresh cream

Combine in stainless steel pot and heat until almost boiling.

Remove from heat, set aside to cool, a little.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Separate 24 egg yolks and two whole eggs. (Save whites for meringues or pavlova, or low cholesterol eggs or discard)

Beat yolks with barely two cups (scant) sugar.


Slowly add 1 or 2 cups of the hot cream into the yolks and stir briskly to avoid cooking the yolks!

Continue adding hot cream in small amounts until it half of the cream is added and then pour the rest in at once- no need to beat. Stir gently to avoid foam.

Pour through strainer, scrape vanilla beans and add to cream mix.

Pour into 50-55 catering sized ramekins (or 26 larger full dessert sized ramekins). Important to fill them as close to the top as possible in preparation for the torch to not make black marks on the ramekin, (marring presentation).

Place them in a hotel pans (2 inch pans)

Pour water 1 inch (2.5 cm) high on the outside of the cups (do this close to or in the oven).

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes in a 150 C (300 F) degree oven.

Take foil off and bake for another couple of minutes, uncovered.

They should be barely solid when you jiggle the pan, do not overcook (they puff up when they are overdone). Refrigerate uncovered until cold (then you can cover them, if need)

Important Serving time tips

Use white sugar if in hurry, otherwise brown.

Sift or spread the sugar to fully cover in a thin 2mm coating on the custards.

You can only do a few at a time, because the sugar can melt onto the cold custard before you get to it with the torch (and the liquid sugar won't caramelize). DO IN SMALL BATCHES of 4 or 5 at a time (or more if you are fast at it.)
 

Hold lit torch pointing up and turn the custard in the flame sideways to guide the carmelizing sugar, if necessary.