• To start, preheat oven to 200ºF and boil a kettle of water for the water bath
• Separate the yolks from 7 eggs. Save whites for baking with later. 
• Combine cream, milk, sugar, espresso, and vanilla in a pot, and bring just to the boiling point over medium-high heat.
• Remove it from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
• Whisk egg yolks together well and slowly pour the hot mixture into them, whisking constantly. It’s important to keep whisking and to add the hot liquid slowly so you don't cook the egg yolks.  
• Strain through a sieve into a spouted bowl or large measuring cup to remove any curdled egg.

Place Ramekins in Water Bath

• Place your ramekin dishes in an oven-proof baking dish, and pour the hot mixture into the ramekins.
• Pour the kettle water into the baking dish until the water reaches halfway up the ramekins. 
• Place baking dish in oven and bake for 2 hours. When done, the creme brûlée should look set, but the centers should jiggle slightly when shaken.
• Remove baking dish from oven and transfer the ramekins to a cooling rack for 30 minutes.
• Transfer the ramekins to the fridge to ensure creme brûlée is fully chilled and set. to let them chill and set completely. I would recommend a minimum of 4 hours, but they can remain refrigerated up to 2 days.

Torching your Creme Brûlée

• Just before serving, remove the creme brûlée from fridge and sprinkle a teaspoon or so of white sugar over the surface of each dish. Shake to distribute evenly. 
• Using a kitchen torch, or blow torch, brown the sugar until it’s fully caramelized. 
• After torching your sugar, let the espresso creme brûlées sit for 5 minutes or pop them into the fridge for a couple of minutes to allow the caramelized sugar to harden.