Crème Brûlée Recipe
A vanilla bean custard baked gently in a water bath, chilled, then finished with a sugar crust that shatters under a spoon. My easy method doesn’t require tempering the eggs and milk!
Ingredients
- 3 cups heavy cream (720mL)
- 1 vanilla bean split and seeds scraped
- 5 large egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar plus more for topping (100g)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- In a small saucepan, bring the cream and vanilla bean pod and seeds to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes.
- Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Discard any solids and the vanilla bean pod.
- In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and salt. Slowly whisk the warm cream into the egg yolks. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve and discard any solids caught by the sieve.
- Place 6 (6-ounce) ramekins in a large baking dish and divide the custard among them. Very carefully pour boiling water into the baking dish until it comes about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. (Go slow and take care not to splash water into the custard. See notes for an alternative method.)
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the custard edges are set, but the center wobbles slightly when gently shaken. (If you’d like to be more accurate, the internal temperature should be around 170-180F. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of one custard to check.)
- Carefully remove the pan from the oven and let the custards cool completely in the water bath at room temperature. Remove the ramekins from the water and chill for several hours. The custards can also be loosely covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days before topping and serving.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle sugar evenly over the top of each chilled custard (about 1 to 1½ teaspoons each). Using a blow torch, caramelize the sugar until dark amber and bubbling. Serve immediately to ensure the sugar is still crispy and cracks when spooned into it.
Notes
- Use 6-ounce ramekins. If you use larger or smaller ramekins, adjust the cooking time and cook until the edges are set but the center wobbles slightly. Shallower ramekins give you more surface area for the sugar topping but cook faster, so start checking early. I tested with narrower 6-ounce ramekins that were about 2 inches deep.
- Checking doneness. If you're unsure, insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of a custard. They're finished when the custard reaches between 170°F and 180°F.
- Try raw sugar or natural cane sugar for the topping for more caramel and molasses notes.
- Use one big dish instead of ramekins: a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie plate works, baked with the same water bath technique. One reader, Cindy, makes it this way for her mother. Check with the wobble or the thermometer, since the timing will change based on the depth of your pan.
Nutrition
Calories: 519kcal Carbohydrates: 21g Protein: 6g Fat: 47g Saturated Fat: 29g Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Monounsaturated Fat: 13g Cholesterol: 296mg Sodium: 88mg Potassium: 130mg Sugar: 20g Vitamin A: 1966IU Vitamin C: 1mg Calcium: 98mg Iron: 1mg