Easy Creme Brulee Recipe
Creme brulee is a quick and easy dessert — a custard, cooked and cooled. A small amount of sugar is sprinkled on the top of the cooled custard and the sugar is caramelized using a creme brulee torch or beneath a broiler.
Creme brulee inherits its delicate flavor from the simple mixture of cream and eggs. Traditional creme brulee does not use any additional flavorings such as vanilla.
A classic finale to a meal, creme brulee can be served chilled or slightly warm.
Adapted from Bonjour's Creme Brulee Set Recipe
Servings
Makes 4 creme brulee.Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 extra large or jumbo egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/3 cup sugar for caramelizing
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Minimum-required Tools
- heavy saucepan
- teapot or other easy-pour container for boiling water
- mixing bowl and whisk
- oven-safe ramekins
- deep baking pan
- aluminum foil
Directions
Temper the egg yolks before adding them to the cream: pour a small amount of the hot cream into the egg yolks while whisking quickly. This reduces the chances of the egg yolks curdling.
To check the creme brulee for doneness, use the "wobble" test. Carefully reach into the oven and gently shake a ramekin with tongs. It's perfect when the edges are set, but the rest jiggles like Jell-O.
Preheat oven to 300°F. Prepare some boiling water.
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine cream and 2 tablespoons sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally until small bubbles appear around edges of pan; 5–6 minutes. Set aside.
In a bowl, beat egg yolks and vanilla until smooth and light. Pour hot cream mixture into egg yolks, a little at a time, beating continuously until well-blended. Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. Divide among 4 – 4 oz. ramekins.
Arrange ramekins in a baking pan and place on middle shelf of preheated oven. Fill pan with boiling water to halfway up sides of ramekins. Cover pan loosely with aluminum foil. Bake until custard is just set, about 25 minutes. Use caution when removing ramekins from oven as they will be very hot! Chill 2–3 hours.
Sprinkle remaining sugar evenly over top of cooled custards. With the creme brulee torch, move the flame continuously over the surface of the ramekins in a circular motion until sugar melts and becomes golden brown and bubbly Serve immediately surrounded by fresh berries or cut-up fruit, or refrigerate for later use.
Helpful Hints
- Don't add to much egg yolk to thicken the cream; the custard should be silky. Adding more eggs can lead to a pasty consistency.
- For best results, an optional step is to chill the the filled ramekins overnight before cooking.
- Use a teapot to pour the simmering water into the baking pan. It's easier to pour and less likely to splash into the custards.
- The purpose of the water bath is to protect the creme brulee from direct heat. The water should come up to the level of the custard inside the cups. In an electric oven with a top-heating element, try placing a cookie sheet on the top rack to protect the creme brulee from direct heat.
- After baking, the creme brulee may be refrigerated up to 2 days. Closely cover the ramekins; there should be little to no open space above the surface of the creme brulee. If small pools of liquid develop on the creme brulee surface, gently blot with a paper towel before caramelizing the sugar crust.
- Stop torching the caramelizing sugar just before the desired degree of doneness is reached; the sugar will continue to cook for a few seconds after flame has been removed. You don't want to actually burn the sugar; only cook it to a golden color. Any darker and it will taste bitter.
- Whatever type of sugar you use, only apply a thin, even layer for best results. Powdered sugar makes the thinnest, most delicate creme brulee crust. Regular granulated sugar also works well. Brown sugar makes a tasty creme brulee crust, but should be dried on a baking pan at 300°F for 5–10 minutes for best results. Do not use coarse sugar; it requires too much time to caramelize and makes the creme brulee crust too thick.