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Crème Brûlée

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desserts•french•vegetarian, gluten-free
5 hours 30 minutes•6 servings•

Ingredients

  • 2 quarts water – boiling (for water bath)
  • 3 cups heavy cream
  • 1 vanilla bean – split lengthwise, seeds scraped
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar – for custard (132g)
  • 8 egg yolks
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar – for topping (50g)
crème brûlée

Instructions

  1. 1.

    Heat the oven to 300°F. Place six shallow 4–5 oz ramekins in a deep roasting pan; have a fine-mesh strainer and a heatproof pitcher ready.

  2. 2.

    Combine the heavy cream and the vanilla bean (seeds and pod) in a saucepan. Heat over medium until steaming with small bubbles at the edges, 3–5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and steep 10 minutes, then lift out and discard the pod.

  3. 3.

    In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, the granulated sugar for custard, and the fine sea salt until pale and slightly thickened, 1–2 minutes (avoid whipping in lots of air).

  4. 4.

    Slowly ladle the warm cream into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to temper. Strain the custard through the fine-mesh strainer into the pitcher; skim any foam from the surface.

  5. 5.

    Divide the custard evenly among the ramekins.

  6. 6.

    Slide the pan into the oven. Carefully pour the boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins, avoiding splashes.

  7. 7.

    Bake until the edges are set and the centers quiver like gelatin when gently jiggled, 30–40 minutes; an instant-read thermometer should read 170–175°F at the center.

  8. 8.

    Remove ramekins from the water bath and cool on a rack until barely warm, 30–45 minutes. Cover and chill until fully set, at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.

  9. 9.

    To serve, blot any condensation from the custards. Sprinkle each with 1–2 teaspoons of the granulated sugar for topping, tilting to coat in a thin, even layer.

  10. 10.

    Caramelize the sugar with a kitchen torch in a steady sweeping motion until deep amber and glassy, 1–2 minutes. Let stand 1–2 minutes to harden before serving. Broiler alternative: place ramekins 5–8 inches from a preheated broiler and broil until caramelized, 4–6 minutes, rotating the pan as needed; chill 5 minutes to re-firm the custard before serving.

Crème brûlée is a French baked custard crowned with a thin, glassy cap of caramelized sugar. The custard is luxuriously smooth and lightly perfumed with vanilla, while the brittle top shatters under the spoon for a satisfying textural contrast. Its appeal lies in the balance between richness and restraint: a silky set custard, clean dairy flavor, and the faint bitterness of burnt sugar.

Historically, versions of burnt-cream desserts appear across Europe, but crème brûlée is closely tied to French restaurant tradition. A recipe attributed to François Massialot in the late 17th century describes sweet cream finished with a scorched sugar crust, originally caramelized with a heated iron. Related cousins include England’s Cambridge burnt cream and Spain’s crema catalana, yet the modern form—baked in a water bath, chilled, then brûléed to order—became a hallmark of French patisserie and fine dining in the 19th and 20th centuries.