Creme brulee is a simple yet elegant dessert that's actually really easy to make
It's just four simple ingredients that transform into a creamy custard
Plus I'll show you how to make the caramelized topping with or without a torch
For this recipe, I like to use whole vanilla beans
the small pod is packed with hundreds of tiny seeds
that's going to intensify the sweet taste and aroma of the custard
I know that the pods can get a little bit expensive
so as a good substitute you could use two teaspoons of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
To extract the seeds from inside the pod all you need to do is cut a shallow line down the center
take the back of the knife and just scrape the seeds out
whoa as you can see these tiny black specks
they're concentrated with vanillin flavor compounds
that's just going to add so much dimension to the dessert
I usually get about an eighth of a teaspoon from one vanilla bean pod
For a luxurious texture, I'm going to use heavy cream
It contains 36% fat which is going to give a smooth mouthfeel without feeling too dense
Add 1 3/4 cups to a medium saucepan, add the scraped vanilla seeds
and make sure to add the vanilla bean pod because
it still has a ton of flavor and we want to infuse it into the cream
Now we're going to go heat it over at the stove
Heat on medium-low until the mixture reaches 180 degrees, about 10 to 12 minutes
Stir occasionally and make sure not to boil the cream
It's heated to 180 degrees or scalding just below simmering,
any higher and it's gonna start to separate and get clumpy
The reason we do this is to infuse more vanilla bean flavor
Once it reaches the desired temperature we're
going to take it off the heat and let it sit and steep for five more minutes
It's also going to help to drop the temperature a
little bit so it doesn't curdle the eggs when we add it later
To create a softer pudding-like texture I only use egg yolks
They contain 16% protein which is going to coagulate
just enough to thicken the custard but not make it completely firm
We need 5 egg yolks
To separate the egg just crack it on its side and then have a bowl to catch the whites
and try to crack it down the center so that you can use
the shell to just rock the yolk back and forth
until there's no more egg white attached and then just transfer the egg yolk into another bowl
Be really careful not to make contact
with the edge of the shell or it could cut into the yolk and break it
Another method that we used to use when I was working at a bakery
is to crack the whole egg into your hand
This is a little bit more gentle and you could
really feel if you've gotten all of that egg white removed and separated
I also don't like to waste the egg whites,
you could also use it as a quick breakfast scramble the next morning
or you can make another dessert-like French macaroons or meringue
I'm going to whisk in the granulated sugar into the egg yolks
This process is going to slow down coagulation
so that when the warm cream is added it's not going to curdle
To the 5 egg yolks, add a 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
Whisk gently just until it's combined
You don't want to do this process too early and let it sit
otherwise the sugar is going to bind that moisture in the
egg yolk and it's going to cause the uncooked egg proteins to start to curdle up
Now I'm going to strain the warm cream through a fine-mesh sieve
This is going to remove any clumps or particles so that it's nice and smooth
Just slowly pour it
over the bowl then I scrape the bottom of the sieve against the side of the bowl
We can't add hot cream to the eggs otherwise they're going to
coagulate so instead we're going to use a process called tempering
We're going to add a small portion of the warm cream
to the eggs at a time going to use a 1/3 cup amount
Pour some into the eggs and whisk at the same time, this prevents hot spots in the eggs
Gently mix just till it's combined, add another 1/3 cup, whisking till it's nice and smooth
Now that we've tempered the eggs we can safely add the remaining amount of cream
so that it doesn't get curdled
In a medium saucepan or kettle, add 4 cups of water and bring it to a boil
This will be used to make the water bath
I use 4-ounce sized ramekins for the custards but if you like a more
shallow dish you can use that too
but just know it's going to cook a lot quicker
I also place the ramekins inside a 9 by 13-inch metal baking pan you don't want to use glass
because once you add the hot water
there's a chance that it will shatter, so metal is the way to go
Now add into each ramekin a 1/2 cup of the custard
I like to stir the custards just
really gently so that I can distribute all of those lovely speckled vanilla bean seeds
Now if you see any little air bubbles on the surface you're
going to want to pop them either with a little toothpick or the tines of a fork
but really there's not much on here so we're good to go
Now you're going to create a bain-marie which is a hot water bath that surrounds the ramekins
You want to make sure that the ramekins are away from the side of the pan
and then slowly add the hot water
The water should come about halfway up the sides
The water bath is going to create this gentle environment
for baking when it's in the oven because the water never goes above boiling
You're going to get a nice consistent custard texture
throughout and it's going to be smooth and creamy
Bake until the creme brulee is set
but still has a slight wiggle in the center, about 30 to 40 minutes
If using an instant-read thermometer the temperature should read
at least 175 degrees in the center
Place the cups on a cooling rack and dry the sides
The custards have cooled down to room temperature for about 45 to 60 minutes
this is really important because it allows for carryover cooking
And once we add it to the refrigerator to chill it's going to prevent
too much steam from building and condensation on the surface
Wrap each ramekin tightly with plastic wrap
Now we're going to chill these in the refrigerator for 3 hours to help the custard set
or you could leave them in there for up to three days if you want to make them in advance
As you can see the custards are completely set
And right before I add the sugar on top if you see
any excess moisture on the surface use a paper towel to just blot it
because the moisture is going to prevent that sugar from hardening
Now I'm going to add 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar to each ramekin just sprinkle it on top
then just tilt and roll it around to evenly cover the surface
Now for the fun part
I have a handheld culinary torch that I'm going to use to caramelize the surface
Hold it three to four inches away from the surface
of the creme brulee and then just use a slow circular motion
going from the edges to the center
I found that using the handheld torch is the best
method for browning because it gives you the most control
If you don't have a culinary torch you can use these methods
Set the oven rack about six inches away from the upper heating element,
boil on high until the surface is golden brown
and bubbling about four to six minutes
Place a stainless steel spoon
that you don't care much about over the flame of a gas stove set on high
Let it heat for about five to six minutes
then lightly press the bottom of the spoon onto the sugar surface
slowly dragging it in a circular motion until it's golden brown
Let the creme brulee sit at room temperature for
about five minutes to allow that sugar crust to harden
or you could place it in the refrigerator for up to an hour
and still get that nice crispy texture if you want to serve it later
Right before serving I like to add some garnish to just make it a little bit more fancy
Add a dollop of whipped cream just a little bit on the edge
Some fresh mint leaves to add a pop of color
and juicy raspberries, these look so pretty
If you're looking for more fancy French desserts check out my cream puffs right here
I love making it for special occasions
I hope you enjoyed learning the science behind creme brulee and if you did
please give it a big thumbs up
it means a lot when you do
Now it's time to dig in
oh it's so crispy
so good