Best Creme Brulee Recipe
Want an impressive dessert, that is actually quite easy to make? Try this Crème Brûlée featuring a creamy vanilla custard topped with a shatteringly crisp sugar shell.
Servings: 6
Calories: 425kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup sugar (115 g)
- 1 vanilla bean
- 5 egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 teaspoons granulated sugar for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Pour heavy cream and milk into a saucepan, then add sugar.
- Split vanilla bean and scrape seeds into cream. Drop vanilla bean pod into cream as well.
- Heat over medium, whisking frequently to dissolve the sugar.
- Turn off the heat when the cream just starts to steam and small bubbles start to form around the edges (about 5 minutes). Let cool for 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add egg yolks to a large measuring cup with a spout and whisk until smooth.
- Pour in a few ounces of the hot cream mixture while whisking. Continue whisking until well-combined.
- Slowly pour the rest of the cream mixture into the egg yolks while stirring constantly.
- Whisk in salt.
- If the mixture looks particularly foamy, you can skim the foam off the top before pouring into ramekins so that you won’t have bubbles on the top of your custards.
- Bring a kettle to boil with hot water.
- Fill 6 4-ounce ramekins with mixture, and put ramekins in a 9x13 baking dish. Put baking dish in oven.
- Pour very hot water (just off the boil) around the ramekins, about ¾ of the way up the sides.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until custards are set, but still slightly jiggly in the middle.
- Remove pan carefully from the oven. Then remove ramekins and place on cooling rack. Let cool until room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle 2 teaspoons sugar evenly over the top of each custard’s surface, covering completely.
- Hold a kitchen blowtorch a couple of inches from the surface of the custard, and turn on. Caramelize the sugar by moving the blowtorch in circles over the custard until the sugar melts and browns.
- Repeat for remaining custards.
- Serve immediately, or put custards back in the refrigerator for up to an hour.
Notes
Storage Tips:
After brûlée-ing your custards, don't chill longer than 3 hours maximum or the sugar topping will soften. You can, however, chill the custards for up to 3 days before making the topping. Cover with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated. Expert Tips:
This recipe makes 6 4-ounce crème brûlée servings, but depending on the size of your ramekins, you may want to do 4 6-ounce servings instead. If you have traditional shallow crème brûlée ramekins, like those pictured below, they are 8-ounce servings and will cook faster than the deeper 4-ounce and 6-ounce ramekins. Note that the water bath is necessary because it ensures the custards cook slowly and gently, so they don’t overheat and break. Don’t overcook your custards. You want them to wobble or jiggle when you shake the side a bit. If the center is sloshing around, they are not fully cooked. That said, don’t wait until they are fully set before pulling out of the oven—they will continue to firm up as they cool. If you want to be extra sure, use a high-quality instant read thermometer to test the center temperature. The custard is done when it reaches between 170 and 180 degrees. Don’t have a crème brûlée torch? You can put the custards under the broiler instead. Make sure the ramekins are about 3-4 inches from the heating coil, and watch carefully so they don’t burn. Broilers can be higher risk since they will take longer to caramelize, and in the meantime warm the custard up so much that it curdles.
After brûlée-ing your custards, don't chill longer than 3 hours maximum or the sugar topping will soften. You can, however, chill the custards for up to 3 days before making the topping. Cover with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated. Expert Tips:
This recipe makes 6 4-ounce crème brûlée servings, but depending on the size of your ramekins, you may want to do 4 6-ounce servings instead. If you have traditional shallow crème brûlée ramekins, like those pictured below, they are 8-ounce servings and will cook faster than the deeper 4-ounce and 6-ounce ramekins. Note that the water bath is necessary because it ensures the custards cook slowly and gently, so they don’t overheat and break. Don’t overcook your custards. You want them to wobble or jiggle when you shake the side a bit. If the center is sloshing around, they are not fully cooked. That said, don’t wait until they are fully set before pulling out of the oven—they will continue to firm up as they cool. If you want to be extra sure, use a high-quality instant read thermometer to test the center temperature. The custard is done when it reaches between 170 and 180 degrees. Don’t have a crème brûlée torch? You can put the custards under the broiler instead. Make sure the ramekins are about 3-4 inches from the heating coil, and watch carefully so they don’t burn. Broilers can be higher risk since they will take longer to caramelize, and in the meantime warm the custard up so much that it curdles.
Nutrition
Calories: 425kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 245mg | Sodium: 90mg | Sugar: 28g
