How to make Creme Brulee
What is Creme Brulee?
Creme brulee, also known as a burnt cream, is a truly classic dessert consisting of a baked custard topped with a hardened layer of caramel produced by blow torching the top with sugar. Originating in 17th Century France, it is typically flavoured with vanilla but can also use cinnamon or citrus, like we have here. Creme brulee is a highly popular restaurant dish, and although it is a simple dish it has a real elegance and wow factor when done well. This easy creme brulee recipe can add a true French classic to your repertoire, and give you a dessert that can be adjusted in many different ways, offering a wide variety of seasonally appropriate flavours and that incredibly satisfying crack as you break open the caramel with your spoon.
Creme Brulee Ingredients
- 150ml Lime juice
- 250ml Double cream
- 2 Whole eggs
- 3 Egg yolks
- 75g Caster sugar, plus an extra tablespoon for glazing
Creme Brulee Recipe
- Prepare your ring moulds with cling film around one opening, or make sure you have shallow ramekins clean and dry.
- Preheat the oven to 90 degrees celsius.
- Put the lime juice into a pan, and put onto a medium heat to warm up.
- Whisk together the eggs and the sugar, making sure they are well mixed.
- Add the cream to the warmed lime juice, and mix well then pour the lime and cream mix into the eggs and sugar and whisk well.
- Once well mixed, pass the mix through a sieve into a measuring jug.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared rings or ramekins, and look to see if you have bubbles formed on top. If you do, you need to remove them by gently running a blowtorch over the top, which should remove the bubbles.
- Put the tray into the preheated oven, baking should take around 15 minutes if you are using a shallow ring, or longer if you are using a deeper ramekin. Check the video below for a demonstration of the consistency you are looking for.
- Once baked, allow to cool completely in the fridge before finishing.
- To finish the Creme brulee, take your extra tablespoon of sugar and sprinkle it evenly over the top of the brulee. Take your blowtorch and glaze the sugar, caramelising it to produce a dark brown coating. Make sure to cover the whole brulee with the caramel, being careful not to allow it to go black and burn.