When life gives you crème brûlée, eat it!
With its silky vanilla custard hidden beneath a thin, crisp layer of caramelized sugar, crème brûlée is one of France’s most famous desserts.
Its exact origins are still debated, but the earliest known recipe to use the name crème brûlée appeared in 1691 in Le Cuisinier royal et bourgeois, a cookbook by French chef François Massialot. His version called for sugar to be scattered over the custard and caramelized using a red-hot metal implement — a rather more dramatic predecessor to the kitchen torch we use today!
Similar “burnt cream” desserts have also appeared in the culinary traditions of Catalonia and England over the centuries, so France may not be able to claim the idea entirely as its own. Nevertheless, crème brûlée has become a classic of French cuisine.
It’s an impressive dessert to serve at the end of a dinner with friends or for a special occasion — and, conveniently, you can prepare the custards in advance and simply caramelize the sugar just before serving.
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sugar, plus extra for the topping
- 4 large egg yolks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/165°C. Place 4 ramekins side by side in a large baking dish. Bring a kettle of water to a boil.
- Pour the cream into a saucepan and add the salt. If using a vanilla bean, add both the scraped-out seeds and the pod. If using vanilla extract, add it to the cream instead. Heat gently over low heat until the cream is hot but not simmering, then remove from the heat. If using a vanilla pod, remove and discard it.
- While the cream is heating, place the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl and whisk by hand for about 30 seconds, until well combined.
- Continue whisking the egg mixture while slowly pouring in about ½ cup of the hot cream. Add another ½ cup in the same way, then gradually whisk in the remaining cream. Adding the hot cream slowly prevents the eggs from scrambling.
- Pour the custard mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a jug or bowl to remove any small lumps and create a smooth custard.
- Divide the custard evenly among the ramekins. Carefully pour the hot water from the kettle into the baking dish around the ramekins, taking care not to get any water inside them. The water should reach about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Bake for approximately 30–40 minutes. The custards are ready when the edges are set but the centers still have a slight wobble when gently shaken.
- Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath and allow them to cool to room temperature. Transfer them to the refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- Just before serving, remove the ramekins from the refrigerator. If there is any condensation on the surface of the custard, gently blot it away with a paper towel.
- Sprinkle a thin, even layer of sugar over each custard. Using a kitchen torch held about 2–3 inches from the surface, slowly move the flame over the sugar until it melts, bubbles and caramelizes to a deep golden color.
- Allow the caramelized topping to set for a minute or two, then serve immediately.
Bon Appétit!
