Crème Brûlée Recipe
A fancy restaurant-quality crème brûlée is easy to achieve at home!! Just 5 ingredients to create a sugar-crusted creamy vanilla custard!
Servings: 6
Equipment
- 6 Ramekins
Ingredients
Custard
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 7 large egg yolks, room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Dash of salt
- sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla, until smooth.
- In a medium pot over medium heat, add heavy cream and half-and-half and cook (stirring occasionally) until bubbles form around the sides of the pan. Remove from heat. Pour a small amount of the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture and quickly whisk until combined. Repeat until the cream mixture is all mixed in.
- Strain this mixture through a sieve into a large bowl with a pouring spout. Discard any chunks in the sieve. Pour the custard mixture between 6 (6-ounce) ramekins.
- Place the ramekins in a large baking dish, and fill the dish with hot water to about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Bake for 32-36 minutes, until the custard only jiggles slightly when shaken. Remove from the oven and let cool in the water bath for 15 minutes, then move to the refrigerator to cool completely (for about 1 hour).
- After the custard has cooled, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar evenly over the top of each custard. Using a small creme brulee torch, hold the flame about 2 inches above custard surface and rotate it slowly in small circles until sugar is evenly caramelized.
Video
Notes
Recipe Tips.
- When slowly pouring hot cream into the egg yolk mixture, whisk constantly. This crucial step prevents the eggs from scrambling and ensures your custard stays silky smooth.
- Two main reasons crème brûlée doesn't set properly are undercooking or not chilling it long enough.
- A bain-marie (water bath) helps the custard cook evenly. Without one, it may take a more rubbery texture with a cracked surface.
- When caramelizing the sugar, do not take your eyes off the ramekins under the broiler. Sugar can go from perfectly golden to burnt in a matter of seconds.
- The sugared crust is the topping, but you can also top it with fresh berries, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, or chopped nuts.
Nutrition
Calories: 453kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 318mg | Sodium: 56mg | Potassium: 152mg | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 1595IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 1mg