Crème brûlée
Crème brûlée is a French baked custard with a rich, vanilla-scented, silky cream underneath and a crackly layer of burnt sugar on top. The greatest joy of this dessert is the tap of the spoon breaking through the caramel before reaching the cool custard below. The recipe needs only a few ingredients, but asks you to bake gently and be patient.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Rising or chilling
- 4 hr 30 min
- Total time
- 5 hr 35 min
- Method
- Oven-baked
Ingredients
Custard
Burnt sugar topping
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius, arrange six small ramekins in a deep baking dish and boil a kettle of water for the water bath. Low heat combined with a water bath lets the custard cook slowly without turning pitted or weeping. You're ready when the oven is hot and the water in the kettle has just boiled.
Step 2
Split 4 g vanilla beans in half, scrape the seeds into a saucepan along with the pods and 500 g heavy cream, heat over low heat until small bubbles appear around the edge, then turn off the heat, cover and let it steep for fifteen minutes. Steeping lets the vanilla flavor sink deep into the cream. The cream is ready when it smells clearly of vanilla and is speckled with tiny black seeds.
Step 3
Put 110 g egg yolks, 75 g granulated sugar and a pinch salt in a bowl and whisk gently until the sugar dissolves. Whisk slowly so the mixture doesn't get foamy, because bubbles leave the surface pockmarked after baking. The mixture is ready when it turns pale yellow and you can no longer see grains of sugar.
Step 4
Remove the vanilla pods and pour the warm cream into the yolks a little at a time, whisking steadily, until all the cream is added. Pouring slowly warms the yolks gradually so they don't set into specks. The mixture is ready when it is smooth, even and just slightly warm to the touch.
Step 5
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a pitcher with a spout, skim off any foam from the surface, then pour it evenly into the six ramekins, about two and a half centimeters deep in each. Straining thoroughly removes any leftover bits of egg white and makes the custard perfectly smooth. You're done pouring when the surface in each ramekin is still and free of bubbles.
Step 6
Put the dish in the oven, pour hot water into it until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins and bake at 150 degrees Celsius for about 35 to 45 minutes. The surrounding water keeps the temperature around the ramekins steady, so the custard cooks evenly from the edges to the center. The custard is done when the edges have set and the center still wobbles slightly like jelly when you shake the dish.
Step 7
Lift the ramekins out of the water bath, let them cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours. Chilling long enough sets the custard completely and dries the surface so the sugar sticks well. The custard is ready when the top feels cold, firm and not sticky to a light touch.
Step 8
Just before serving, sprinkle 45 g superfine sugar in a thin, even layer over each ramekin, then sweep a kitchen torch over it until the sugar melts and turns amber. Torching right before serving keeps the sugar crackly while the custard below stays cold. The topping is ready when it hardens after a minute and cracks crisply when you tap it with a spoon.
Equipment
- Oven
- Ramekins
- Small saucepan
- Whisk
- Sieve
- Deep skillet
- Kitchen scale
- Refrigerator
- Kitchen torch
Tips
- If you don't have a torch, set the ramekins right under the oven's top element on the highest broil setting and watch them closely for two to three minutes.
- Leftover egg whites keep in the fridge for a few days, ready for macarons, financiers or meringues.
- Shallow, wide ramekins help the custard bake faster and more evenly, and give each serving more caramelized surface.
Storage
The baked custards, before torching, keep in the fridge for three days when tightly covered. Once torched, the sugar turns syrupy and soft within an hour, so torch it only just before serving.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The custard is pitted, lumpy or weeping.
- The oven was too hot or the custard baked too long, overcooking the eggs. Use an oven thermometer, always use a water bath and take the ramekins out while the center still wobbles slightly.
- The custard is still runny after chilling.
- The custard was underbaked or the ramekins were too deep. Next time, bake five to ten minutes longer and check by shaking the dish; the edges should be firmly set.
- The sugar burned black and bitter.
- The torch was held too close or kept in one spot. Keep the flame a few centimeters from the sugar and move it continuously in circles.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
