What is a custard, anyway? It is a delicious dessert, yes, but technically speaking it’s a liquid that has been thickened or set via the coagulation of egg protein. The key to perfect custards is to keep the internal temperature of the mixture below 185 °F / 85 °C—above that point, they have a tendency to curdle. And curdling, dear friends, is the bane of any custard baker.

Enter sous vide. By cooking custards in a sous vide bath, we can precisely dictate the temperature to which they are heated, thus eliminating the risk of a curdled dessert. We prepare our Crème Brûlée—along with other delightful eggy treats—in small Mason jars, so the desserts emerge individually portioned in their own adorable vessel. Before serving, we add a golden-brown layer of caramelized sugar using a blowtorch—don’t worry if you’ve never tried it, we’ll walk you through the technique. The result: a sunshine-hued dessert with a deliciously crackly top and a whisper of elegant sweetness, easy to whip up (even if you’re serving a large group) and eminently satisfying.

ChefSteps is here to make you a better cook. Drawing on our years of combined culinary experience, we create hands-on online classes and original recipes that are both informative and entertaining. We don’t tell you how to sharpen your knife or make macarons from scratch, we show you. Whether you’re a home cook, a professional chef, or just love watching cooks work, we can help you cook smarter.