- This is the stuff my dreams are made of.
On actual Valentine's Day,
this is what you're making for me.
(tape rewinding)
Hey, everyone. It's Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com.
Today, I'm gonna show you how to make creme brulee.
This is my favorite dessert of all time
and easier than you think.
Let's get started.
(hands tapping)
Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees.
That's Fahrenheit, not Celsius.
Add two cups of heavy cream to a saucepan,
bring it just to a simmer, and take it off the heat.
For the vanilla flavor, you have options.
If you're gonna use a vanilla bean,
split the bean in half and add it with the cream
or try vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
Today, I'm using vanilla bean paste,
and I love that it has those little vanilla flecks in it.
Stir it in, and set it aside.
In a separate bowl, you'll need five large egg yolks.
You can use the egg whites to make macarons.
Then you can sell them
so you'll have money to buy more eggs.
Into the yolks, add half a cup of sugar and a pinch of salt.
You can also add cayenne pepper
if you have no idea what you're doing.
Whisk that together until it's blended.
If you're sweating, you're doing it right.
Now, we're gonna slowly add in the hot cream mixture.
Make sure you're whisking constantly,
so you don't end up with scrambled eggs.
That's a different recipe.
Once those are combined,
strain the mixture through a strainy thingy,
because no one likes mystery lumps in their creme brulee.
If you strain this right into a measuring cup,
it'll be much easier to portion into the ramekins.
In a casserole dish, place six four-ounce ramekins.
You can also do four six- to eight-ounce ramekins
if you want them larger.
Divide the mixture evenly between the ramekins.
Add hot water into the casserole dish
about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Now, transfer that into the center of a preheated oven
and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes
or until the centers are nearly set.
When you pull it out of the oven,
the creme brulee should still have a wobble in the center,
similar to my belly after Thanksgiving dinner.
If you give the cups a jolt,
you should still see the center is slightly wobbly.
(creme brulee wobbles)
Transfer those to a wire rack
and let them cool completely to room temperature.
Then you're gonna refrigerate for at least two hours.
And yes, you can totally make these ahead of time
and refrigerate for up to three days.
I do have a batch that I made the night before,
and you might notice that one of the cups is missing.
I don't want to talk about it.
Remove the plastic wrap.
Before serving, we're gonna brulee the top.
Sprinkle one and a half to two teaspoons of sugar
over the top of each creme brulee.
If you did a terrible job of sprinkling,
you can tap the cups around to spread it more evenly.
Now, you can use a kitchen torch or a flamethrower.
(intense music)
Torch the top, moving in a circular pattern
until the whole surface is caramelized
to a deep amber color.
You will have more control using a smaller handheld torch
like this one.
It seems appropriate to also show you
how to use a flame thrower to make creme brulee.
(intense music)
Because the flame is larger,
I do like to use a baking sheet first,
so I don't catch my cutting board on fire.
I have found that with a flamethrower,
the sugar does tend to burn a little bit more
before all of the sugar can caramelize.
Verdict is in.
I like the smaller one, but I have no regrets.
And careful, those cups can get crazy hot.
All right, I told you it was easy,
and I will leave links to these torches in the notes.
I would not recommend using the broiler.
In my testing, it has never worked.
If you don't have one,
just put fruit on top, maybe some fruit puree,
garnish it up and enjoy it as is without the sugar crust.
Now, for the best part of the show, the taste test.
I do love to garnish these.
Adding a little bit of fruit on top
helps cut the sweetness of the creme brulee.
I wanna show you my very favorite part of this dessert.
The crack.
It is just irresistible to me.
Check this out.
(dessert cracks) You hear that?
That means we did it right.
We're gonna break through that in just one swift motion.
Nice.
I like to give it a few little cracks
to break it up a little bit
and then just take a big spoonful.
Oh, look at that.
Just like creamy custardy, incredible underneath.
Oh, and the combination.
Here we go.
Mm.
This just makes my day. Literally my favorite dessert.
If we're in a restaurant and this is on the menu,
guess who's ordering it?
And my son is exactly the same way.
He's actually adopted this as his favorite, too.
He actually makes it on his own
'cause sometimes he's craving it,
and I'm too lazy to make it.
Homemade is literally just as good
as getting it in a fancy restaurant.
And it's one of the simplest desserts.
I'm gonna go enjoy the rest of this,
and we'll see you on the next episode
of "Natasha's Kitchen."
Let me know where you spotted Sharky in the comments,
and we'll see you later.