Crème brûlée is one of our favorite easy dessert recipes, made with only 4 ingredients. The silky texture and rich vanilla flavor give this homemade crème brûlée recipe a restaurant flavor.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Skill Level: Easy
Calories: 388
Servings: 7 people
Ingredients
Ingredients for Creme Brulee:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for caramelizing
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
US Customary – Metric
Instructions
How to Make Creme Brulee:
- Preheat the oven to 300˚F. Pour heavy cream into a medium saucepan and set over medium heat, stirring frequently until steaming and almost at a simmer then add vanilla and remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 5 egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt until blended. While whisking constantly, gradually drizzle in the hot cream. Start very slowly to avoid scrambling your eggs.
- Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup with a pouring lip. Discard anything left in the sieve. Divide the mixture into 6 (4-oz) ramekins and place in a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Fill the baking dish with boiling water about halfway up the sides of the cups. Bake at 300˚F for 30-35 minutes, or until the centers are nearly set and have just a slight wiggle in the center. Carefully transfer ramekins from the water bath to a wire rack and cool to room temp then cover and refrigerate creme brulee until fully chilled (2 hours or up to 3 days).
To Caramelize the Top:
- When ready to serve, put 1 1/2 to 2 tsp sugar on each custard, swirling to spread evenly. Torch the top – moving in a circular pattern until the whole surface is caramelized to a deep amber color.
