Crème Brulée, which is synonymous with “burnt cream,” is a delicacy that many have recognized. Crème brulée itself has a sweet taste with a combination of dry and soft textures. You can taste it all in one bite! It's very easy to make crème brulée. Surprise your guests with your delicious crme brulée!
Ingredients
- 945 gr heavy cream
- 2 vanilla bean sticks, halved (or substitute with 2 tsp. vanilla extract)
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 cup (240 g) granulated sugar, 1/2 for pudding and 1/2 for caramel
Step
Part 1 of 3: Heat the Cream
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 163º C
Step 2. Prepare the vanilla sticks
Slice the center of the vanilla stalk open. Remove all the tiny vanilla beans and set the stems aside.
Step 3. Place the cream, seeds, and vanilla sticks in a saucepan over medium heat
Step 4. Heat the cream and vanilla mixture until it starts to boil, or until small bubbles start to appear on the sides of the pan
Once the mixture starts to boil or small bubbles start to appear, turn off the heat.
Step 5. Allow the cream mixture to cool covered for 15 minutes
Don't forget to remove the vanilla sticks when the cream has cooled.
Part 2 of 3: Make Pudding
Step 1. While waiting for the cream mixture to cool, beat the egg yolks together with 1/2 cup of sugar
Beat the two until the egg yolks separate and are pale in color.
Step 2. Slowly add the cream to the egg yolk mixture, while continuing to stir
Don't add a lot of cream right away, as the heat from the cream can make the eggs overcook. Make sure you do it slowly.
Step 3. Use a sieve to separate the mixture from the small pulp
Step 4. Pour the cream into the six ramekins (small heat-resistant bowls) placed on a flat baking sheet
Step 5. Pour enough hot water into the pan to half the height of the ramekins
This method is known as bain marie.
Step 6. Store the ramekins for 40 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven
Ripe crme brulée will have a firm texture on the edges and soft in the center.
Step 7. Transfer the ramekins to a cooling rack
Once cooked, remove the crème brulée from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Be careful with the ramekins that are still hot. After that, let the crème brulée sit at room temperature to cool.
Step 8. Keep the crme brulée wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator for 2 hours
Part 3 of 3: Make Caramel for the Pudding Surface
Step 1. Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the crème brulée
Make sure the sugar is evenly distributed over the crème brulée to make the caramel process easier.
Step 2. Burn the top of the crème brulée with a welding torch
Make sure not to burn for more than 8-10 seconds, or the sugar will burn later.
If you don't have a torch, move the oven rack to the top row, and turn on the grill. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet, then place them under the grill. Twist the ramekins to get an even brown color
Step 3. Chill back in the refrigerator for 45 minutes before serving (optional)
This cooling will allow the sugar to penetrate more deeply into the pudding before serving. This step is not necessary if you prefer a crme brulée with freshly cooked caramel.
Step 4. Done
Tips
- A few minutes before cooking, remove the crème brulée from the oven and allow it to cook using the remaining heat from the oven.
- If you don't have a torch or similar, you can heat the sugar in a saucepan until it caramelizes, then pour it over the pudding with a thicker layer than usual.
- Overcooked crme brulée will turn into sweet scrambled eggs. Therefore, make sure the crème brulée is not overcooked.
- Another way to caramelize on top of the crème brulée is to place the ramekins under a preheated grill. The closer the ramekins are to the grill, the faster the crme brulée will crisp up. Pudding will cool down as the surface dries.
- You can add pieces of ginger and lemon verbena to the cream while it's heating up for a slightly different touch.
- Raw sugar or Turbinado is the most appropriate type of sugar to sprinkle on top of the pudding.
- If you want, you can add cream on top of the crème brulée.
Warning
- Children are not recommended to use a welding torch. Therefore, always supervise your children when they are using it.
- Be careful when using the stove or oven.
- There is only one technique to make a delicious crme brulée. Practice making crème brulée in the same oven several times before holding a special event.
- The water used when baking is very hot. Therefore, be careful when removing the ramekins from the oven.
