Crème brûlée is like the little black dress of desserts. It’s classy, non-fussy, and goes well with everything. Don’t be intimidated by it – making crème brûlée is quite simple and straightforward to make. The only thing that takes a little practice is torching the sugar at the end, but that part is also the most fun.
Crème Brûlée
What you need:
6 large egg yolks
1/4 cup (50 g) Redpath Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon (7 ml) vanilla extract
pinch salt
Extra sugar for caramelizing tops
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes + 2 hours cooling time
Yield: 4 – 6 servings
Chef Notes:
Add the seeds of a vanilla bean for an even richer vanilla flavour.
How to prepare:
1. Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C).
2. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar vigorously, until the mixture turns a pale yellow and thickens. Add vanilla and continue whisking vigorously to incorporate it. Note: Whisking helps the sugar crystals to break down the egg for maximum creaminess.
3. Add heavy cream to the egg mixture all at once, then the salt. Gently stir until ingredients are combined, so as to minimize the amount of bubbles in the mixture.
4. Place 4 5oz ramekins or 6 3.5oz ramekins in a baking dish with tall sides. Pour hot (not boiling) water into the dish until the water is halfway up the sides of the ramekins. This is called a bain-marie.
5. Transfer the crème brûlée mixture into the ramekins.
6. Bake custards for 50 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centre jiggles a little. Carefully remove from the oven.
7. Allow the custards to cool in the water bath until you are able to remove them with your hands.
8. Remove each crème brûlée from the water bath and allow to cool completely.
9. Once completely cooled, cover each crème brûlée with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
10. After the custards are chilled, dust the top of each with sugar, coating the surface as evenly as possible, using about one teaspoon of sugar per ramekin.
11. If you have a blowtorch, turn it on and adjust it so that you have a continuous flame. Be careful. In small, circular motions, torch the sugar on top of each crème brûlée so that it melts gently without darkening too quickly (or catching fire). If the sugar darkens too quickly, hold the torch further away. If the sugar isn’t darkening, hold the torch closer to the sugar. Cool the crème brûlée for just a few minutes in the fridge afterwards before serving.
To caramelize the tops using your oven broiler: Place your oven rack as close to the broiler as you can, but don’t turn on the oven yet. Use the same pan you baked the crème brûlée in, and arrange the ramekins in the pan, then surround each ramekin with ice (this will keep the custard cool and prevent it from cooking while under the broiler). Place on the top rack of the oven and turn the broiler on. Watch closely, as the sugar will caramelize in 3 – 5 minutes. When the sugar has caramelized, remove the pan from the oven and let the crème brûlée cool down for a few minutes in the fridge.
12. Serve crème brûlée cold. If you like, you can serve it with fresh berries or a simple fruit compote. However, it also tastes amazing on its own.