Crème brûlée, crème brûlée the love of my life, the love of my life.
My love for custard is known and actually could say very easy that I can never, but never, refuse anything with custard.
Have you seen that French movie Amélie? Well you should watch it and I’m pretty sure you will develop a love for this beautiful dessert and that magical sound of a crème brûlée top cracking and then sink into that velvety, silky and so smooth custard. Hmmmmm, are you with me?!
This dessert is a different level and what I like about crème brûlée is that it’s so easy to make, it taste so divine and it requires only five ingredients. Isn’t this just amazing? Whoever invented crème brûlée should be blessed forever!
I mean….. look at this beauty, it cannot get any better in terms of a dessert, can it?
A few tips:
• Creme brulee can be made in small ramekins, larger ramekins or in a large ovenproof dish. It really depends how you want it to be and look when serving it. Personally, this dessert should always be made in a fairly large dish. Large enough for me to dip my head into or even go for a dive in. Ha ha – I do love it!
• use the best cream available, the more fat the better this one comes out. Please don’t you even think for a second cutting any corners or any fat percentage. This is a lush, indulgent and totally delicious dessert and it should stay this way.
I remember a few years back we were going to this West End restaurant in London, one of the top chef’s restaurants just for this crème brûlée. It was the most amazing one I have ever had and this reminds me of that, exactly. I believe I have discovered the secret to the best crème brûlée. I totally believe it is the salt.
That makes such a difference giving it a proper definition enhancing the flavours.
Are you put off making this at home because you don’t have the right tool for caramelising the sugar?
Please don’t worry for a second if you don’t have a blowtorch to do this, it can easily be done by using an oven grill. See recipe notes for mre details.
The best part…
I’m so sure you will totally agree with me on this one…
The best part of a crème brûlée to begin with is the cracking of the caramelised sugar on top… mmmmmm.
And then….
Indulging on this creamy deliciousness….how good is this?
It is amazing what a few ingredients can deliver and this dessert is definitely a stunner. Simple and beautiful creamy and so velvety, decadent and LUSH.
Grab a spoon now and lets get on with preparing this cracking dessert. Enjoy!
Crème brûlée
Ingredients
- 500 ml double cream
- 1-2 vanilla pod I used 2 smaller ones
- 80 g of sugar plus 40 extra for topping
- 5 eggs yolks * see recipe notes
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Start by preheating the oven at 150°C or 300°F/.
- Separate the egg yolks fromthe egg whites.
- Into a bowl beat the egg yolks with the sugar together until it’s nice and homogeneous. Set aside.
- Split the vanilla pod(s) with a sharp knife all the way down through the middle and scrape the seeds out with the blade of the knife. Cut the vanilla beans pods into chunks. Add to the cream.
- Place a pan over a medium heat and pour in the cream. Bring this to boiling point but do not allow it to boil.
- Pour the cream over the egg and sugar mixture. Whisk this together until it feels that the sugar has completely dissolved. Discard the vanilla pods at this point if you have used them.
- Pour the crème brûlée mixture into the dish or ladle the mixture into ramekins and put those into a deep baking tray into which you pour hot water until the water would reach halfway up the ramekins (submerging these or the one dish). This is called bain-marie.You may also choose to pour the water after placing the tray into the oven – it may be easier.
- Place the baking tray, very very steady and carefully, into the preheated oven. Bake these for about 35- 40 minutes until they are set firm but still with a little jiggle in the middle.
- Allow to cool and if you don’t serve them immediately refrigerate them right up until serving.
- Just before serving sprinkle over the rest of the sugar and use a blowtorch to caramelise the sugar into a thin top layer. * See recipe notes for tips on how to caramelise the sugar if you do not have a blowtorch.
Notes
• Crème brûlée can be made or quite ahead of time, even the day before so if you decide to make if ahead at step 6 you just place in the refrigerator for whenever needed. • Since this recipe only uses egg yolks, keep the egg whites for later use and there are many things you can make with egg whites such as meringue, marshmallows or an omelette like this with some extra egg whites. • if you don’t have a blowtorch (most people don’t own one but if you do I’m impressed) the oven grill will work perfectly. Set this on and place all the ramekins or the oven dish under the grill after sprinkling the sugar on top. Keep an eye on it all but it should not take longer than 2 min. It’s all depends on how high the grill has been set to but also how close this are to the actual grill, I recommend a good 5 to 10 cm distance.
Definitely keeping an eye on this it’s a great idea as the sugar does caramelise pretty quick.
Pinelopi Kyriazi says
Your photography is stunning!! It makes wanna buy the ingredients and cook it nOW! 🙂
Ramona says
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback Pinelopi, I really appreciate it and I’m so, so glad you like it. ?
Leslie says
I have never made Crème brûlée bc I had this assumption that it was super difficult to make. I had no idea it was this easy!
Ramona says
Thank you dear Leslie, it is not hard to make but like with any custard, things can go wrong. The cream quality is important and it’s done ??
Mahy says
I have been really excited about exploring the flavors of custard – every recipe that I’ve tried always turned out to be so delicious. Can’t wait to try this crème brûlée!
Ramona says
Thank you so much Mahy, I love custard as much as you do but creme brulee goes a step beyond perfection 😉 I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do 😉
Danielle says
Fabulous dessert that is great for a small group party! It looks amazing and I am sure it tastes like heaven!
Ramona says
Hi
Danielle, It really does taste amazing, definitely a must make and have 😉
Denay DeGuzman says
What stunning food images! Creme brulee tops my list for delicious, special-occasion recipes for celebrating life. Yours looks amazing: creamy with a beautifully textured surface. Yum. Yum.
Ramona says
Thank you so very much dear Denay! Your comment has made my day! Absolutely! Creme brulee does top my list of fine desserts, delicious and super fit for special occasions but you know what? Every day it’s a special occasion isn’t it? 😉
Michelle Cannon says
I have never had creme brulee, but it always looks so appealing! The ingredients make me think of egg nog. ? I’ll have to try this one. Pinning it!
Ben Myhre says
Simple is often the best, isn’t it? That is one thing I love about this classic dessert. Thank you so much for sharing and this looks beautiful. I am loving the recipe and the photos.
Ramona says
Thank you so much dear Ben, I really appreciate your feedback. 😉
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
The creme brulee looks so tempting and I love your pictures! Makes me want to dig in and hear the top caramelized sugar crackle. This is perfect to serve as individual dessert during the holidays. Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Cheese Curd In Paradise says
One of my all-time favorite desserts! I love the hard crackled topping it the creamy custard under. Yum! I have not tried this at home, but would love to!
Ramona says
Thank you Ashley 😉
Deb says
Creme Brûlée looks amazing. My family just loves it. I love your glass serving dishes. Where are they from?
Ramona says
Hi Deb,
Thank you so much. It’s such a beautiful dessert, right?
Here in the UK I got these from Gu desserts or have a look at supermarkets they might have some desserts sold in these glass dishes. ?
Stine Mari says
I never refuse any kind of custard either, and this crème brûlée looks so inviting and utterly DELICIOUS. Can’t wait to crack it open 🙂
Katerina says
These do look lush indeed, Ramona! I love a good creme brulee and these ones look so good! Your photography is just mouthwatering! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.