Crème Brûlée – a silky classic with a crisp caramel top.
Crème brûlée is the epitome of a classic French dessert – simple, elegant and full of flavour. A silky, creamy vanilla custard topped with the crispest layer of caramelised sugar – it is pure indulgence. It is one of my absolute favourite desserts.
Here is my recipe for crème brûlée with just 4 ingredients and a simple, straightforward method.
It is a rich dessert, admittedly, but that is exactly what makes it so irresistible. Serve it with fresh berries on top and you get a lovely balance between rich and fresh that makes it even more elegant and easy to eat.
The best part is that it is actually an easy dessert to make. You don’t need advanced equipment or techniques – just good ingredients and a little patience. The cooking itself is quick, but the custard needs time to set in the fridge to reach just the right consistency. In return, you are rewarded with a dessert that tastes like something from a good restaurant.
Crème Brûlée baking time
The baking time for crème brûlée can vary quite a bit from oven to oven. As a rule of thumb, 50–60 minutes in the oven is about right in a classic shallow crème brûlée dish, but it is a good idea to start checking after about 45 minutes.
The custard should still have a slight wobble in the centre when you press it gently – it must not be firm, as it sets further as it cools. That is exactly the consistency that gives the perfect silky texture.
Crème Brûlée
Ingredients
- 600 ml whipping cream (38% fat)
- 1 good-quality vanilla pod, seeds and pod
- 100 g caster sugar
- 6 egg yolks
To serve
- 6 tbsp caster sugar
- Fresh berries
Method
- Pour the cream into a saucepan with the empty vanilla pod and heat to about 80°C. The cream must not boil.
- Mash the vanilla seeds with a little of the sugar, then whisk the sugar, vanilla and egg yolks together with a whisk. Just combine them – do not whisk until light and airy.
- Remove the vanilla pod from the hot cream and pour the cream into the egg mixture in a thin stream, whisking gently.
- Pour everything back into the saucepan and heat to about 80°C over a medium heat. Stir constantly with a spatula until the custard thickens slightly, then remove it from the heat immediately.Using a spatula helps you avoid a lot of foam on top.
- Leave the custard to cool on the worktop for about half an hour and skim off any foam on top.
- Gently stir the custard through with the spatula and divide it between 6 shallow dishes.
- Place the dishes in a roasting tin and pour hot water into the tin until it comes halfway up the sides of the dishes.
- Bake the crème brûlées in a preheated conventional oven (top and bottom heat) at 120°C for about 50-60 minutes. They're done when they are still slightly soft in the centre and give a little when pressed.
- Chill for at least 3 hours – longer is fine. They can happily be made the day before.
- Sprinkle a thin layer of sugar over the top, about 1 tablespoon per dessert, and caramelise with a kitchen blowtorch until you have a crisp caramel.Avoid holding the torch in one spot for too long – you get the best result by keeping the flame moving the whole time.
- Top with fresh berries and serve immediately.
Nutrition
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