There’s an undeniable elegance to creme brûlée. That irresistible layer of crunch from sugar magically manipulated by fire. The silky custard that lies beneath the surface. Your dinner guests will go crazy over it and will think you’re a culinary wizard for making such a sophisticated desert, but it’s actually made with the simplest of ingredients. Basic ingredients and just a little bit of setting time are all it takes for this beauty to come together. And it’s actually an incredible make ahead desert (I’m talking days before hosting)! I know, just as you were thinking creme brûlée couldn’t get more perfect…
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 115 g granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- 5 egg yolks
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon spiced rum
- Granulated sugar for topping
Method
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Combine heavy cream, whole milk, and sugar in a medium saucepan.
- Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds.
- Add vanilla seeds and pod to the cream mixture.
- Heat over medium heat, whisking frequently, until steaming and small bubbles form around the edges.
- Remove from heat and cool for 2 minutes.
- Whisk egg yolks in a large measuring cup or bowl until smooth.
- Slowly whisk one ladle of warm cream mixture into the egg yolks to temper.
- Add another ladle while whisking continuously.
- Gradually whisk in the remaining cream mixture.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Strain custard mixture through a fine mesh sieve until smooth.
- Divide custard evenly among 6 ramekins.
- Place ramekins in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Carefully pour boiling water into the baking dish until it reaches about 3/4 up the sides of the ramekins.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until edges are set and centers are slightly jiggly.
- Remove ramekins from the water bath and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap directly touching the custard surface.
- Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.
- Before serving, sprinkle tops evenly with granulated sugar.
- Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar until golden brown and crisp.
- Tempering the eggs slowly prevents scrambling.
- Straining the custard creates a silky smooth crème brûlée texture.
- Chill completely before caramelizing the sugar topping.
- If you don’t have a culinary torch, your broiler will also work, just check it after 30 seconds!
- Store covered crème brûlée in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before torching.
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 115 g granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- 5 egg yolks
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon spiced rum
- Granulated sugar for topping
Method
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Combine heavy cream, whole milk, and sugar in a medium saucepan.
- Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds.
- Add vanilla seeds and pod to the cream mixture.
- Heat over medium heat, whisking frequently, until steaming and small bubbles form around the edges.
- Remove from heat and cool for 2 minutes.
- Whisk egg yolks in a large measuring cup or bowl until smooth.
- Slowly whisk one ladle of warm cream mixture into the egg yolks to temper.
- Add another ladle while whisking continuously.
- Gradually whisk in the remaining cream mixture.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Strain custard mixture through a fine mesh sieve until smooth.
- Divide custard evenly among 6 ramekins.
- Place ramekins in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Carefully pour boiling water into the baking dish until it reaches about 3/4 up the sides of the ramekins.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until edges are set and centers are slightly jiggly.
- Remove ramekins from the water bath and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap directly touching the custard surface.
- Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.
- Before serving, sprinkle tops evenly with granulated sugar.
- Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar until golden brown and crisp.
- Tempering the eggs slowly prevents scrambling.
- Straining the custard creates a silky smooth crème brûlée texture.
- Chill completely before caramelizing the sugar topping.
- If you don’t have a culinary torch, your broiler will also work, just check it after 30 seconds!
- Store covered crème brûlée in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before torching.
What to Noice as You Make
To know the creme brûlée are ready to be removed from the oven it’s important to know what a custard should look like. Most custards complete their magic while cooling in the fridge, so when they come out of the oven, they should still have a jiggle in the center. If you wiggle one of the ramekins and the entire mixture has movement, let it bake for a few minutes longer.
When warming your milk, cream and sugar mixture, be sure not to bring to a boil. You want to scald the dairy and to know you’ve achieved this, look for tiny bubbles around the perimeter of the saucepan.
Boil=big, noisy, vicious bubbles all around.
Scald=tiny, noiseless bubbles justtt around the perimeter.