Salted Maple Creme Brûlée with Candied Pecans

Silky maple crème brûlée topped with a crackly sugar crust and crunchy candied pecans. A cozy, make-ahead fall dessert that's holiday dinner ready.

Servings 6 servings

Preheat the oven to 325F.
Add the heavy cream to a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat.
On a cutting board and using a sharp paring knife, cut the vanilla bean lengthwise down the middle. Scrape out the seeds with your knife and add both the seeds and pod to the warming cream. Heat until small bubbles appear around the pan's edges, then take off the heat.
Whisk the whole egg, egg yolks, and maple syrup together in a large bowl until fully combined. Gradually add the hot cream to the egg mixture while whisking constantly until smooth and uniform in color. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to catch the vanilla pod pieces and any bits of cooked egg. For easier handling in the next step, strain directly into a large spouted measuring cup.
Arrange the ramekins on a 9X13 pan. Pour custard into each ramekin to the brim. Add hot tap water to the baking sheet until it reaches halfway up the mold sides.
Bake for approximately 40 minutes until the edges are set but the center jiggles slightly when gently shaken.
Remove pan from oven and let cool 30 minutes. Remove molds from the water bath and transfer to refrigerator for at least 2 hours (up to 3 days) to allow the custards to fully set.
Once custard is set, just before serving, sprinkle 2 teaspoons of grnualted sugar on each top. With a kitchen torch, about 1 inch away from the surface, brulee the top of each custard.

Preheat oven to 300F. Prepare a large baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.
In a small mixing bowl add the egg white, vanilla, and water until soft peaks. It is a small amount so it won't be difficult to get stiff peaks by hand with just a little arm power!
In a separate mixing bowl, add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt to a bowl and stir with a fork to combine.
In a large bowl, combine the pecans and the egg whites. Fold the mixture the coat the nuts, feel free to gently toss to coat. Add the dry ingredients, the (cinnamon sugar mixture) and fold the pecans until they are fully coated.
Spread the coated nuts into a single layer on the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 40-45 minutes until nuts are fragrant and slightly darkened. Every 15 minutes, stir the nuts to make sure they are cooking evenly. Remove from the oven and let cool.

In a large bowl with a whisk, add the whipped cream, granulated sugar and cinnamon. Whisk (or you can use a hand-mixer) until soft peaks form. Set aside.

With a spoon or piping bag, add a dollop of whipped cream to each torched brûlée. Add candied nuts directly on top of the whipped cream. Serve immediately.