Crème Brûlée Recipe
French · Dessert · 70 min total
A classic French dessert with a rich, creamy custard base and a contrasting caramelized sugar crust. This recipe yields a perfectly silky custard with a satisfying crack when you tap the top.
20
min prep
min prep
50
min cook
min cook
4
servings
servings
480
kcal/serving
kcal/serving
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
- Pinch of salt
- 4 teaspoons turbinado or demerara sugar (for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Place four 6-ounce ramekins in a baking dish large enough to hold them without touching.
- In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream and the scraped vanilla bean seeds and pod (or vanilla extract). Heat over medium heat until just simmering, then remove from heat and let steep 10 minutes. Remove vanilla pod.
- In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and salt until smooth and slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Do not overmix.
- Slowly pour the warm cream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl or large measuring cup.
- Divide custard evenly among ramekins. Pour hot water into the baking dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Bake until custards are set but still jiggle slightly in the center, 40-45 minutes. Remove ramekins from water bath and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- Just before serving, sprinkle about 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar evenly over each custard. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar until golden brown and bubbly. Let stand 1 minute for sugar to harden.
Tips
- For best texture, use a water bath (bain-marie) to ensure gentle, even cooking.
- If you don't have a torch, place ramekins under a broiler for 1-2 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning.
- Crème brûlée can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated; add sugar crust just before serving.
- Leftover egg whites can be used for meringues or omelets.
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