Crème brûlée. When I first heard of the dessert, it sounded fancy… and intimidating! How could I ever learn to make a dessert of which I could barely spell the name? The creamy goodness underneath a crunchy, caramelized sugar top? Impossible!
I first tasted this dessert on a fancy outing with my husband at a high-dollar restaurant. And it was absolutely delicious. I had to learn how to create a crème brûlée dessert at home… after all, I could not afford to pay for this restaurant to make it every time I wished to eat it.
I read through dozens of recipes. After that, a half dozen more. And I took a risk in combining a few of them. It paid off, as I believe that I have created a recipe that I’m almost willing to call “foolproof”.
The ingredients are quite simple: cream, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla extract. But the results? Decadent.
Unfortunately I was interrupted midway through making making this dessert by a rather charming 11.5 month old… so I only have these two pictures: the ingredients and the final product. Hopefully my instructions will make up for the lack of pictures.
Crème Brûlée
Ingredients
- 3 egg yolks
- 6 tablespoons sugar divided
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together yolks and 2 tablespoons of sugar. In a small saucepan, heat cream and 2 tablespoons of sugar over low/medium heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Whisk a small amount of cream into yolks to temper them. Slowly whisk the rest of the cream into the yolks. Pour into two 7-oz ramekins. Place in a baking dish, and pour enough boiling water into the dish to reach about 2/3 of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes. They are finished baking when they jiggle slightly when shaken (the consistency of gelatin). Cool about 10 minutes on wire racks. Refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours, but no longer than 2 days. Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon sugar. Broil 4-6 inches from heat, or use a small kitchen torch to caramelize sugar. Chill a few minutes to set sugar before serving.