Corn Crème Brûlée

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Set four shallow 8-ounce ramekins (or four 6-ounce standard ramekins) in a 9- by 13-inch baking dish; set aside.

Cut kernels off cobs; you should have about 1 cup (320g) of kernels.

In a medium saucepan, combine corn kernels and cobs, cream, milk, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 15 minutes.

Using tongs, remove corn cobs from cream and discard. Carefully transfer cream mixture and corn kernels to a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy, about 15 seconds.

In a small bowl, whisk yolks, sugar, and vanilla, if using, to combine. Add this sugar-egg mixture into corn cream in the blender and blend until combined, about 10 seconds.

Set a fine-mesh strainer over a 4-cup measuring cup. Pour custard base through, pressing to express liquid from solids. Divide custard base evenly among the ramekins. (For shallow ramekins, fill with 6 ounces of liquid each. For standard ramekins, fill them to the lip.) You may have a few tablespoons of extra custard.

Carefully transfer baking dish to middle rack of oven. Pour just-boiled—but not boiling—water (around 180º to 200ºF or 88º to 93ºC) into baking dish until it comes 2/3 of the way up the ramekins; be careful not to splash water into ramekins. Bake until custards are just set, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, and, using towels, oven mitts, or silicone-coated tongs, carefully transfer ramekins to a cooling rack. Allow custards to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Refrigerate until set, uncovered, at least 3 hours.

To finish and serve, top the surface of each ramekin with an even layer of sugar (about 1 to 2 teaspoons per ramekin). Working in a circular motion, use a kitchen blowtorch to pass a flame over the top of each crème brûlée, 1 to 2 inches away from the surface of the custard, until the sugar has caramelized and melted into a glossy, crackling sheet and turned golden brown. Serve immediately.