Crème brûlée
Burnt cream custard
Vanilla baked cream under a crackly burnt-sugar top
Crème brûlée, 'burnt cream', is the dessert on almost every Paris bistro menu: a shallow dish of rich vanilla custard, cold and silky, under a thin sheet of caramelised sugar you crack with the back of a spoon. Unlike the stovetop Spanish crema catalana, it's made with cream and baked gently in a water bath. The custards are made a day ahead, which makes it ideal for dinner parties; only the sugar is burnt at the last minute. Chef's tip: take them out of the oven while the middle still wobbles like jelly; overbaking is the common mistake and the custard turns grainy and splits.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 cups double cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 vanilla podsplit, or 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 2 ½ oz caster sugar
- 6 tbsp caster sugarfor the topping
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 300°F (275°F fan). Put six 150 ml ramekins in a deep roasting tin.
Step 2: Heat 2 cups double cream, ½ cup whole milk and the seeds and pod of 1 vanilla pod in a pan over a medium heat until steaming with small bubbles at the edge. Take off the heat and leave for 10 minutes.
15 minStep 3: Whisk 6 egg yolks and 2 ½ oz caster sugar until just combined; don't make it foamy. Pour in the warm cream slowly, stirring gently, then strain through a sieve into a jug.
Step 4: Skim off any bubbles, divide between the ramekins and pour boiling water into the tin to come halfway up their sides.
Step 5: Bake for 30–35 minutes, until set at the edges with a slight jelly-like wobble in the centre when you nudge the tin.
32 minStep 6: Lift out of the water, cool, then chill for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.
Step 7: Just before serving, sprinkle each with 1 tbsp of 6 tbsp caster sugar in a thin, even layer. Melt with a cook's blowtorch, moving it constantly, until the sugar turns deep amber and bubbles. Leave for 2 minutes to harden into glass.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 34 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does crème brûlée take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of double cream?
- Whipping cream, same amount (less rich; whips softer).
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
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