Ingredients: 2 cups heavy or light cream, or half-and-half, 1 tsp vanilla extract, ⅛ tsp salt, 5 egg yolks, ½ cup sugar, more for topping
STEPS: Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a saucepan, combine cream, vanilla extract, and salt and cook over low heat just until hot. Let sit for a few minutes. In a bowl, beat yolks and sugar together until light. Stir about a quarter of the cream into this mixture, then pour the sugar-egg mixture into the cream and stir. Pour into four 6-ounce ramekins and place ramekins in a baking dish; fill the dish with boiling water halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until centers are barely set. Cool completely. Refrigerate for several hours and up to a couple of days. When ready to serve, top each custard with about a teaspoon of sugar in a thin layer. Place ramekins in a broiler 2 to 3 inches from the heat source. Turn on the broiler. Cook until sugar melts and browns or even blackens a bit, about 5 minutes. Serve within two hours.
