Crème Brûlée when translated from French to English literally translates to burned cream. Hmm maybe we will stick to the exotic sounding name Crème Brûlée for now. The beautiful part of this recipe is that it looks impressive yet it is very simple to make and naturally gluten free. Plus you have the option of using a culinary blowtorch. HOW COOL IS THAT!?
You can also reuse the ramekins (aka the salsa dishes) you may have bought to make the Chocolate Molten Lava Cake
To torch or not to torch…. Is that even a question?
I learned that given the option, the caramelized sugar is prettier and more controlled when using a blowtorch instead of the broiler. That being said if you don’t have a blowtorch ( I used a plumbing torch my first time making it, because that’s the only thing I had on hand) or don’t want to use one. Then the broiler will work just fine. Just be sure to keep the sugar towards the center as the sides of the dish tend to heat up quickly and this will cause the edges to burn before the center caramelizes.
If you need some suggestions on what kind of blowtorch to buy, Id suggest this one. Its cheap and effective.
Culinary Blow Torch, Tintec Chef Cooking Torch Lighter
Id also recommend these short ramekins if you want the classic Crème Brûlée dishware. But the taller ramekins will do just fine.
Sweese Porcelain Ramekins
What I learned:
When adding the warm cream mixture to the egg mixture it’s important to only add in a splash of cream at a time. While also continuously stirring. This allows for the egg mixture to gradually warm up. Otherwise hot cream + cold eggs = scrambled eggs. Which is delicious, but not what we are making today. This process is called “tempering”. Feel free to use that term as you are bragging about how you made this classic dish.
Onto the recipe:
Crème Brûlée
Ingredients
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 5 Egg yolks
- ½ cup Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325.
- In a small saucepan warm heavy cream and salt on low heat until it is simmering.Then add in vanilla extract. Then turn the heat off and let it sit for about 5 mins. Using a spoon, take the skin off the surface of the cream
- Meanwhile, in a separate bowl mix egg yolks and sugar with a wooden spoon until fully combined. Pour in a splash of cream mixture while continuously stirring. Stir for about a minute until fully combined. Repeat this step until all of the cream mixture is fully combined.
- Strain the mixture over a measuring cup to remove any lumps, ensuring a smooth custard consistency
- Pour the mixture into creme brulee dishes (ramekins or glass bowls). Place dishes into a baking pan and fill the pan up with hot water halfway up the sides of the dishes. Be careful not to get any water into the dishes itself. Bake for 30-40 mins, until the centers are not quite set.
- Transfer dishes from the baking pan to the Refrigerator for several hours (2 hour at minimum) up to overnight.
- When ready to serve, pour a thin layer of sugar on top. You can either use a blow torch to caramelize the sugar until its a golden brown color or if you don’t have a blow torch, place ramekin in the broiler no less than 3 inches from the coil for 2-5 min or until sugar turns golden brown and caramelized. After sugar is caramelized, let it cool for about 5 mins and serve within 2 hours.
Main Photo Credit: Alex Mirchuk
