Creme Brulee Recipe
French Burnt Cream Custard

This creme brulee recipe may quickly become one of your favorite French desserts. Of course, several countries have their version of crème brûlée, including England where you will find it called burnt cream.

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Crème brûlée is a symphony of tastes and sensations. The hard, warm, almost bitter tasting caramel top contrasts with the cool, smooth, sweet cream custard on the bottom. Your mouth is pleased in so many different ways!

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creme brulee recipe ramekins

BIA Cordon Bleu
5-Inch Ramekin

Since it has to cook for a while, and chill even longer, it might be convenient for you to make it in the evening for dessert the next day. The actual mixing of the ingredients is taken care of in just a few minutes.

The only hard part about making this creme brulée recipe is that it requires caramelizing the sugar topping just before serving. The aim is to get a hard shell caramelized finish without warming the cream underneath and this can be difficult without the right tool. You may find that your oven broiler is strong enough to accomplish this, but all I ever get is a mushy warm custard cream and sugar that is barely melted. So I splurged on a blow torch. Actually it cost very little and is well worth the price because crème brûlée is so easy and delicious, it is worth making again and again. Also you can use the culinary torch to brown meringues and melt cheese toppings.

Burnt cream is best made in shallow ramekins that allow a maximum of surface area. This way you get a bite of crunchy topping with every spoonful.

Crème brûlée

6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup additional sugar for topping (raw sugar works well, but so will white sugar)

Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until well combined - about 1 minute. Add the milk, cream and vanilla and stir until well combined.
Ladle into ramekins and bake at 220° F for 90 minutes or until set. The edges should be done but the inside still jiggly.
Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least three hours or until completely chilled.
Just before serving, remove the ramekins from the refrigerator and sprinkle 2 teaspoons of sugar on top of each cream. Using a culinary torch, melt the sugar until it is dark brown. Enjoy immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

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