Crème Brûlée is a popular rich custard dessert with a caramelized sugar crust on top. It is a perfect dessert idea to celebrate Mother’s Day and surprise your loved ones.
Happy Friday everyone! Spring is officially here in a full bloom, and I cannot believe that May is waiting for us right around the corner. That means that it is time to think about how we are going to surprise our moms for Mother’s Day and make something special for them to show our appreciation. I thought, what can be better to celebrate this day than a classic Crème Brûlée!
Crème Brûlée is a popular rich custard dessert with a caramelized sugar crust on top. Before it became popular in the American culture, it had a long history in Europe. This luscious custard originated in the seventeenth century in England and was known as “Burnt Cream”. After some alterations, this dessert received today’s popular name Crème Brûlée, which was given by the French during the nineteenth century.
The simplicity of the recipe at first site can be quite tricky when it comes to baking. If you under bake the custard, you will end up with a “soupy” consistency, while overbaking will result in scrambled eggs instead of creamy custard. The time of baking mostly depends on the size and the depth of your ramekins. With multiple varieties of ramekins’ sizes on the market, baking Crème Brûlée may take from 25 to 60 minutes.
In my recipe, I used 4×2 inch ramekins. Because they are deep, I bake my custard for about 50 to 60 minutes at 325°F until it is set but still has a slight tremble in the center. If you want to reduce the baking time, you can increase the oven temperature to 350°F. Though, I would suggest it only if you are using shallow ramekins. Otherwise, you have a chance to overbake. As my technique has never failed me before, I would recommend following these instructions.
The caramelized sugar crust should be thin and crisp. That is why it should be done just before you serve the dessert, otherwise, the sugar will melt and will lose its crispiness. To perfectly caramelize your Crème Brûlée, sprinkle granulated sugar on top to evenly cover the surface. Blow-torch the sugar until it starts to bubble and gets a beautiful golden-brown crust. Make sure you don’t burn it, as it will have a bitter taste.
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (for topping)
- 1 kettle of hot water
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Preheat the oven to 325°F.
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Heat heavy cream and vanilla extract in a sauce pan over a medium heat until it slightly starts to simmer. Turn off the heat and put the mixture aside.
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In a mixing bowl beat together egg yolks and granulated sugar for a few minutes until it has thicker consistency and pale color.
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Gradually, a little at a time, add cream and vanilla mixture to the eggs until well combined, constantly stirring.
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Divide the mixture between 4 ramekins and place them into a large baking pan. Pour hot water into the pan, covering ¾ of the ramekins.
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Bake at 325°F for about 50-60 minutes until Crème Brûlée is set but slightly trembling in the center.
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When Crème Brûlée is done, remove it from the baking pan, cool off for 10 minutes, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
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Before serving, sprinkle granulated sugar over the Crème Brûlée, and using a blow-torch, brown the sugar to a crispy top. Enjoy!
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