Crème Brûlée
Crème brûlée is one of my all-time favorite desserts. It's incredibly easy to make and absolutely delicious. If you're looking for a quick dessert this weekend, give this recipe a try! It's perfect for gatherings and any occasion.
Crème brûlée might sound fancy, but it’s actually one of the easiest desserts you can make at home. With just a few simple ingredients like cream, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla, you can create a rich and creamy custard topped with a delicious layer of caramelized sugar. It’s the kind of dessert that feels special but doesn’t require hours in the kitchen, which makes it perfect for impressing guests or treating yourself.
Useful tips and trick.
1. Prepare the Crème Brûlée a day prior.
Crème brûlée is one of those desserts that tastes even better after chilling in the fridge overnight. Just a tip: always caramelize the sugar topping right before serving. If you brûlée the top in advance, the caramelized layer will soften in the fridge and lose its signature crack.
2. How to brûlée the top.
While I personally don’t recommend this method, you can theoretically use your oven’s broiler to caramelize the top of your crème brûlée. Simply sprinkle an even layer of sugar, place the ramekins close to the broiler, and keep a close eye on them to avoid burning. That said, I strongly believe it’s worth investing in a kitchen torch. It gives you more control, creates a perfect sugar crust, and is super handy for other culinary tasks too!
3. Serve it cold!
This delicious dessert is best served cold.
4. Use a water bath when baking.
Using a water bath for crème brûlée is important because it ensures even and gentle cooking. The water helps regulate the temperature, preventing the custard from overheating and curdling, which could lead to a grainy texture.
Ingredients you will need for this recipe
Egg yolks: Egg yolks are the base for the custard, providing richness and smoothness. You'll use around 5-6 egg yolks for this recipe
Heavy Cream: Heavy cream adds richness and body to the custard. It’s the main liquid component and creates a smooth texture. The fat content in heavy cream (usually around 32%) helps prevent the custard from becoming too thin or curdled.
Vanilla: Vanilla is the primary flavoring in classic crème brûlée. You can use whol vanilla pod, vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract or ground vanilla beans.
Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar is used in two places: first to sweeten the custard base, and then for the topping.
Step by step directions
1. First, you’re going to preheat your oven to 160C.
2. In a medium saucepan, pour the heavy cream. If using a vanilla bean, split it lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and add both the seeds and the pod to the cream. Bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. You can also use ground vanilla, like I did; or vanilla extract, though this will give a lighter vanilla flavor.
3. While the cream is heating, in a bowl whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar together until pale in color and fluffy.
4. Slowly pour a small amount of the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly.
5. To ensure a smooth custard, strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into another bowl.
6. Place 6 ramekins into a large oven safe dish, then pour the custard into them.
7. Fill the baking dish with hot water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins and bake in the preheated oven between 25-35 minutes. (Because my oven is really strong, they were ready in 25 minutes, but I got a few feedbacks saying that is not enough time, so I recommend keeping an eye on your Crème Brûlée and let them bake longer if needed. Also, my oven was preheating for 20 minutes!)
8. Once ready, remove the ramekins from the water bath and let them cool at room temperature for about an hour. Then, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.
9. Before serving, sprinkle an even layer of granulated sugar on top of each chilled custard. Use a kitchen torch to melt and caramelize the sugar until it forms a golden, crispy layer.
Crème Brûlée
Ingredients
- 5 egg yolks
- 600g heavy cream (32% fat content)
- 65g granulated sugar
- For vanilla you can use one of these options (whichever you have on hand): 1 vanilla bean pod scraped out/ 1 tsp ground vanilla beans/ 1 tsp vanilla bean paste/ 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- First, you’re going to preheat your oven to 160C.
- In a medium saucepan, pour the heavy cream. If using a vanilla bean, split it lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and add both the seeds and the pod to the cream. Bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. You can also use ground vanilla, like I did; or vanilla extract, though this will give a lighter vanilla flavor.
- While the cream is heating, in a bowl whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar together until pale in color and fluffy.
- Slowly pour a small amount of the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly.
- To ensure a smooth custard, strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into another bowl.
- Place 6 ramekins into a large oven safe dish, then pour the custard into them.
- Fill the baking dish with hot water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins and bake in the preheated oven between 25-35 minutes. (Because my oven is really strong, they were ready in 25 minutes, but I got a few feedbacks saying that is not enough time, so I recommend keeping an eye on your Crème Brûlée and let them bake longer if needed. Also, my oven was preheating for 20 minutes!)
- Once ready, remove the ramekins from the water bath and let them cool at room temperature for about an hour. Then, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.
- Before serving, sprinkle an even layer of granulated sugar on top of each chilled custard. Use a kitchen torch to melt and caramelize the sugar until it forms a golden, crispy layer.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
430Fat
40 gSat. Fat
24 gCarbs
14 gFiber
0 gNet Carbs
14 gSugar
14 gProtein
5 gSodium
34 mgCholesterol
275 mg
