Crème Brûlée is a fantastic dessert. You only need a couple of ingredients like egg yolks, sugar, heavy cream, salt and vanilla. Typical for a Crème Brûlée is a thin caramel crust on top. Best of all, it is very simple to make this dessert at home.
Tools & Equipment
- 6 Ramekins
- Instant read thermometer
- Kettle
- Kitchen torch
- Large baking pan
- Liquid measuring cup
- Medium saucepan
- Silicone spatula
- Whisk
- Wire rack
Recipe Tips
Espresso Powder: this is absolutely not a must-have, but the use of espresso powder adds a great aroma to the cream. It doesn’t necessarily taste like coffee, but I have tried both versions and without espresso something is missing in my opinion. So if you have espresso powder at home, you should definitely use it. Alternatively you can use instant coffee instead (8g).
Ramekins: small ramekins are recommended, because in this way the custard can cook evenly. It does not matter whether you use round or oval ramekins. However, the bigger the form, the longer the baking time. If you do not have small ramekins at home, it is of course possible to use a larger dish. Make sure it is made of glass or ceramic.
Kitchen Torch: If you don’t have a torch, you can also caramelize the sugar in the oven. Therefore sprinkle the cooled custard with a thin layer of sugar and put it on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet on the top rack in the oven. Adjust the oven to high heat. Keep a close eye on the custard so it does not burn.
How to Make Crème Brûlée
Preheat the oven to 163°C / 325°F and prepare all your ingredients.
Whisk together egg yolks and 100g of sugar and set aside.
Heat the heavy cream, espresso powder and salt over medium heat. Remove from heat as soon as it begins to boil. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Remove about 1/2 cup of the warm cream and stir into the egg yolk-sugar mix. In a slow and steady stream pour the egg yolk mixture into the warm cream and whisk.
Place 6 ramekins in a large deep baking sheet. You need hot water to fill the baking sheet for the water bath. Therefore use a kettle or a pot and bring water to a boil.
Divide the custard between the 6 ramekins, then carefully fill the baking sheet with hot water, about 1.5cm / 0.6-inch high and transfer it into the oven. Bake until the sides are set, the center should still be jiggling a little. Check the custard after 30 minutes. You can use a digital cooking thermometer, to be sure. They are done when it shows 77°C / 170°F.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Use gloves to lift the ramekins out of the pan and place them on a wire rack. Let them cool for at least 1 hour. Cover the ramekins and put them in a fridge for at least 4 hours before topping them.
Spread a thin layer of the remaining sugar (50g) over the entire surface of the cooled custard. Caramelize with a kitchen torch and serve immediately.
Storage: you can prepare the custard mixture a day before. Cover tightly and store in the fridge until ready to use. If you do not want to use all of the custard immediately after baking, you can store it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Once caramelized, serve immediately or store in the fridge for no longer than 1 hour. However, Crème Brûlée tastes best straight away.
My Summary for Crème Brûlée
Difficulty: simple.
Taste: sweet, with a hint of vanilla.
Texture: creamy and crispy. The custard in combination with the caramel crust literally melts in your mouth.
PROS: very easy to make.
CONS: none.
