There is Crème Brûlée, and then there is Le Chef's Crème Brûlée. A rich, decadent and silky smooth cream, flecked with fragrant vanilla bean and a crisp, crackly top that shatters into sugar shards when you break into it. This crème brûlée is absolute perfection - and, with a few insider tips, is easier than you think to make at home. Are you ready to learn how to make Crème Brûlée like a French Chef?
Allons-y!
What is Crème Brûlée?
A Crème Brûlée is an iconic French dessert made a with a rich, egg yolk pastry cream, cooked in the oven a low heat for a long time (3 hours!). The signature crackly top is made by burning (brûlée in French) sugar sprinkled over the top.
Ingredients for Crème Brûlée
*I prefer measuring in grams as they are the most precise measurement for baking. I highly suggest baking with a pastry scale for no-fail recipes.
- 400 grams of heavy cream (about 2 cups)
- 100 grams of whole milk (about ½ cup)
- 8 egg yolks (gently separate the yolk from the egg white - the egg whites can be used for an Omelette the next morning!)
- 110 grams of sugar (about ½ cup)
- 1 whole vanilla bean
- 2 cups of water to pour in the pan when baking
- An additional 110 grams of sugar (½ cup) for the Brulée coating
Equipment Needed
A blowtorch - necessary for the getting the signature crackly crust on Crème Brûlée
Shallow 6 oz ramekins that are oven safe. The type of ramekin you use is key for getting your creme brulée to set. The ones I used for this recipe are thin and contain 6oz of liquid. This recipe makes 6 crème brûlées with about a ½ cup of liquid in each one.
A baking pan with sides at least one inch tall
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Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees Farenheit
Mix the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl with a whisk until the color begins to whiten.
Carefully slice the vanilla bean in half length wise. Using the tip of your knife scrape out the insides of the bean (the little black seeds) and mix them in with the egg yolk and sugar.
Add the milk and the cream to the mixture - whisk together.
Use a ladle and carefully pour the mixture into the ramekins that are already set in the pan to avoid spilling.
Very delicately, transfer the pan to the middle rack of your oven.
Now, add about an inch of boiling water into the pan. (I add the water after the pan is in the oven to avoid the water sloshing into the crème brûlée). Using boiling water is key to help the Crème to set.
Let cook for 3.5 hours (yes, 3.5 hours) making sure that there is always water in the pan. If you add more water, make sure it is boiling before you add it. The low heat and steam from the hot water create the best, creamy consistency in a crème brûlée.
You will know that the Crème is cooked when it no longer jiggles when you (lightly) move the ramekin.
How to Brûlée your Crème Brûlée like a Chef
The trick is to burn the sugar twice! 2 coats of "burnt" sugar make for that crack that is oh so satisfying.
First, generously sprinkle sugar over the top of each ramekin. Lift the ramekin of Crème up and , using both hands, swirl it around so that the sugar evenly coats the top. Pour the extra sugar back into a bowl.
Give a light pass over each sugar coated ramekin with a blowtorch. You are looking to melt the sugar - not complete caramelize it, or brulée it. It should still have its clear color.
Repeat the same step. Generously sprinkle sugar over the top - swirl around and discard the extra sugar.
Now to use the blowtorch more carefully - you are looking to achieve a deep caramel color on top of your Crème Brûlée. Allow the sugar to bubble and blister - just be careful it does not blacken! You don't want to burn the sugar black and ruin the taste of your slow cooked desserts.
Allow to cool for a few minutes and for the sugar crust to harden.
Enjoy!
Expert Tips:
The type of ramekin you use is key for getting your creme brulée to set. The ones I used for this recipe are thin and contain 6oz of liquid. This recipe makes 6 crème brûlées with about a ½ cup of liquid in each one.
Never open the oven while cooking unless absolutely necessary! Especially at a low heat like in this recipe you can't let the heat escape.
The Bain Marie must be made with boiling water. Boil your water in a kettle before (very carefully!) adding it to the baking tray to surround your crème brûlées.
Place the crème brûlées in the fridge for a couple hours after they are baked.
Tell me, do you prefer to use light, gentle taps to break the top of your Crème Brûlée or do you go in with one strong tap with the spoon for maximum effect?
Feel free to comment and rate the recipe below!
Crème Brûlée can be made up to a couple days in advance, but I suggest saving the last step, the caramelizing of the sugar, until right before you serve.
Other classic French desserts, made simple, you might enjoy:
Au plaisir,
Le Chef's Wife
Print
How to make Crème Brûlée like a French Chef
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 3h30 hours
- Total Time: 3h50
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: french
- Cuisine: French
Description
There is Crème Brûlée, and then there is Le Chef's Crème Brûlée. A rich, decadent and silky smooth cream, flecked with fragrant vanilla bean and a crisp, crackly top that shatters into sugar shards when you break into it. This crème brûlée is absolute perfection - and, with a few insider tips, is easier than you think to make a home. Are you ready to learn how to make Crème Brûlée like a French Chef?
Ingredients
*I prefer measuring in grams as they are the most precise measurement for baking. I highly suggest baking with a pastry scale for no-fail recipes.
400 grams of heavy cream (about 2 cups)
100 grams of whole milk (about ½ cup)
8 egg yolks (gently separate the yolk from the egg white - the egg whites can be used for an Omelette the next morning!)
110 grams of sugar (about ½ cup)
1 whole vanilla bean
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees Farenheit
Mix the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl with a whisk until the color begins to whiten
Carefully slice the vanilla bean in half length wise. Using the tip of your knife scrape out the insides of the bean (the little black seeds) and mix them in with the egg yolk and sugar.
Add the milk and the cream to the mixture - whisk together.
Use a ladle and carefully pour the mixture into the ramekins that are already set in the pan to avoid spilling.
Very delicately, transfer the pan to the middle rack of your oven.
Now, add about an inch of boiling water into the pan. (I add the water after the pan is in the oven to avoid the water sloshing into the crème brulée. Boiling water is key to getting the creme to set properly.
Let cook for 3.5 hours (yes, 3.5 hours) making sure that there is always water in the pan. If you add more water, make sure it is boiling before you add it. The low heat and steam from the water create the best, creamy consistency in a crème brûlée.
You will know that the Crème is cooked when it no longer jiggles when you (lightly) move the ramekin.
How to Brûlée your Crème Brûlée like a Chef
The trick is to burn the sugar twice! 2 coats of "burnt" sugar make for that crack that is oh so satisfying.
First, generously sprinkle sugar over the top of each ramekin. Lift the ramekin of Crème up and , using both hands, swirl it around so that the sugar evenly coats the top. Pour the extra sugar back into a bowl.
Give a light pass over each sugar coated ramekin with a blowtorch. You are looking to melt the sugar - not complete caramelize it, or brûlée it. It should still have its clear color.
Repeat the same step. Generously sprinkle sugar over the top - swirl around and discard the extra sugar.
Now to use the blowtorch more carefully - you are looking to achieve a deep caramel color on top of your Crème Brûlée. Allow the sugar to bubble and blister - just be careful it does not blacken! You don't want to burn the sugar black and ruin the taste of your slow cooked desserts.
Allow to cool for a few minutes and for the sugar crust to harden.
Enjoy!
Tell me, do you prefer to use light, gentle taps to break the top of your Crème Brûlée or do you go in with one strong tap with the spoon for maximum effect?
Feel free to comment and rate the recipe below!
Crème Brûlée can be made up to a couple days in advance, but I suggest saving the last step, the caramelizing of the sugar, until right before you serve.
Notes
Crème Brûlée can be made up to a couple days in advance, but I suggest saving the last step, the caramelizing of the sugar, until right before you serve.
Emily says
This recipe makes soup. Delicious soup, but soup nevertheless. I cooked these in the water bath for the stated 3 hours, then another 2.5 hours, then I got desperate and raised the temperature to 350 and cooked them another 15 minutes. At that point it was 3 am and I was exhausted and they had formed enough of a crust on top that I hoped they were set enough that I could let them cool and put them in the fridge. Well, I checked this morning and beneath that deceptively set crust on top there is soup. Still. They smell wonderful. And the taste is wonderful. But this recipe does not work as written. Maybe you missed an important step when you wrote it? I saw some other recipes heat up the cream ahead of time--perhaps that is the missing step?
lechefswife says
Thank you, Emily, for your feedback. I am so sorry that you were up so late struggling with crème brûlée. That experience is the opposite of what I hope to share with my blog! This recipe is from my husband's apprentice notebook as a young chef and has been tried many (1000s) of times. However, your comment prompted us to try it again (the kids are excited to have crème brûlée today!) and there are 2 pieces of info that I could have been more clear about when writing the recipe. 1) To create a proper bain marie for the creme, you need to add boiling water into the pan. 2) the size and the thickness of the ramekin is very important. We use 6 oz ramekins that are shallow and quite thin porcelain. If you are using a more traditional ramekin that is taller with thicker sides, the cooking time would need to be extended. I hope that you give the recipe a try again - it really is the best crème brûlée I have ever had. Bonne journée, Anina Belle
Heidi Needles says
Is it really 200 fahrenheit? It took nearly 4 hours for them to set.
lechefswife says
Hello Heidi,
I am sorry to hear that your crème brulée took longer to cook. Where they tasty though?
It is crucial that the temperature stays low to not curdle the cream. Did you put them in a bath of water while cooking? the steam helps them to set quicker.
Thank you for letting me know!
Suzanne says
A labor of love! Any suggestions as to what else cooks at 200C, just see o as to maximize the use of the oven?