Lemon Ginger Crème Brûlée

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

Place four 6-ounce ramekins in a large baking dish with high sides. After you fill the ramekins, you will fill the baking dish with boiling water.

You will need the zest of both lemons, and the juice of one.

Add the lemon zest, ginger, cream, salt, vanilla bean and sugar to a saucepan.

Heat over a medium setting until the sugar has dissolved, and the cream just begins to simmer.

As the cream mixture is heating, add the egg yolks and a pinch of salt to a mixing bowl. Beat them together until thick and well blended.

Once the cream mixture is simmering, remove from the heat and fish out the vanilla bean.

Add the cream to the egg yolks slowly as you whisk the mixture together.

At this point, it’s a good idea to start the water boiling that you’ll need to cook them.

Add the lemon juice at the last minute, and blend.

Divide the mixture among the ramekins, and add boiling water to the baking dish to about halfway up the ramekins.

Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. The custard should be mostly firm, with a slight softness in the center.

Remove the pan from the oven when they are ready, and let the ramekins sit in the hot water for another 15 minutes to set.

Discard the water, and refrigerate the ramekins for at least 4 hours. They should be chilled all the way through.

Divide the superfine sugar between the ramekins, rotating as you do to distribute it as evenly as possible in a layer.

Use a small blow torch or kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar layer slowly. Be careful, because the ramekins will also get hot.

If you don’t have a kitchen torch, you can also place the ramekins in the baking dish, and in the oven under the broiler. Watch the ramekins carefully, and rotate the baking dish at least once, when you notice one side beginning to brown.

Serve immediately.