CRÈME BRÛLÉE
Indulge in the luxurious delight of our Crème Brûlée, boasting a velvety texture and a perfectly caramelized sugar crust. Elevate any occasion with this decadent dessert, whether it’s a festive celebration, a gathering of loved ones, or simply a moment of self-pampering.
Discover the sheer joy of indulging in homemade crème brûlée, a dessert traditionally associated with upscale dining establishments. But fear not, for with this straightforward recipe, you can savor every spoonful of this creamy custard with its caramelized sugar topping right in the comfort of your own home. Delight in the delightful contrast between the satisfying crunch of the caramelized sugar and the luxurious smoothness of the vanilla bean custard. With just a few ramekins and a trusty kitchen torch, you can effortlessly recreate the ambiance of a fine restaurant right in your dining room.
What truly sets this custard apart is its simplicity in preparation, where humble ingredients come together to create a dessert that is both refined and comforting. Allow the richness of heavy cream, simmered with a whole vanilla bean, to infuse your custard with the unmistakable essence of vanilla. Whisk together eggs, cream, and sugar to form the base, then gently incorporate the fragrant vanilla-infused cream to achieve that velvety consistency. Finish off by sprinkling the baked custard with sugar and caramelizing it to perfection with your kitchen torch, resulting in a dessert that is as stunning as it is special. And if you find yourself captivated by the charm of French desserts, be sure to explore our collection, featuring classics such as palmiers, French macarons, and mille feuille.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED FOR THIS RECIPE
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla
- Egg yolks
- Sugar
- Salt
TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- Even Caramelization: Sprinkle sugar evenly atop the custard, ensuring it covers the entire surface and touches the sides of the ramekins. Keep the kitchen torch moving continuously to evenly caramelize the sugar and prevent burning.
- Water Bath Technique: When adding boiling water to the baking dish, pour it slowly and carefully, ensuring it reaches halfway up the side of the ramekins. Avoid splashing water into the custard. This water bath is crucial for a creamy texture.
- Tempering Technique: To achieve a creamy and smooth custard, temper the egg yolks slowly by gradually adding the hot heavy cream mixture while whisking continuously. Pouring the cream too quickly risks scrambling the egg yolks.
- Strain for Smoothness: For the smoothest custard, use a mesh sieve to strain the vanilla bean and cream mixture before adding it to the eggs, and strain the custard mixture before transferring it to the ramekins, discarding the vanilla pod. These two straining steps ensure a velvet-like custard.
- Optimal Ramekin Size: Use 6-ounce ramekins for best results. Adjust cooking time if using larger or smaller ramekins, ensuring the edges are set while the center wobbles slightly when shaken gently.
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Easy Crème Brûlée
Ingredients
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 vanilla pack or vanilla bean
- 5 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 165 Celsius degrees.
- In a small saucepan, bring the cream and vanilla bean (along with seeds) to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, remove from heat and let it stand for 15 minutes.
- Strain the cream mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding any solids and the vanilla bean pod.
- In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, 1/2 cup of sugar, and salt until well combined. Slowly whisk the hot cream into the egg mixture.
- Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve once more to ensure smoothness, discarding any solids caught by the sieve.
- Arrange 6 (6-ounce) ramekins in a large baking dish. Divide the custard evenly among them.
- Very carefully pour boiling water into the baking dish until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Take care not to splash water into the custard. Alternatively, pre-fill the baking dish with water before adding the ramekins and custard.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the edges of the custard are set but the center wobbles slightly when gently shaken.
- Remove from the oven and let the custards cool completely in the water bath. Then, remove the ramekins from the water and chill them for several hours, or up to 2 days if desired.
- When ready to serve, evenly sprinkle sugar over the top of each chilled custard (about 1 to 1½ teaspoons each). Use a blow torch to caramelize the sugar until it turns dark amber and starts bubbling.
- Serve immediately and enjoy the deliciously caramelized Crème Brûlée!