Crème Brûlée

Thanks to its elegant French name and famous sugar crust, crème brûlée can seem a little intimidating. But that moment of pure bliss when you crack through that caramelized sugar to find warm, velvety custard underneath is actually pretty simple to re-create at home. All you need are some staple ingredients—sugar, eggs, heavy cream, vanilla—and a little attentiveness and patience, and you’ll be on your way to this decadent dessert. Here’s everything you need to know to get it just right.

What People Are Saying:
"So simple, so delicious! Appreciate how thorough and detailed this recipe is, makes it fool proof." - juliasmith

"Very delicious and the step by step video was a big help." - FromFL

How To Make Crème Brûlée

INGREDIENTS

• Heavy Cream: Many recipes use a combination of heavy cream and whole milk, but I went with cream only, following the lead of my former instructor, the legendary pastry chef Dieter Schorner, who popularized crème brûlée back in the '80s.
• Vanilla Bean Pod: Crème brûlée is a real showcase for vanilla, so rather than using extract or paste, I chose to use the bean pod to get the most robust, aromatic vanilla flavor. Do make sure your pod feels pliable and slightly oily, not dry or brittle.
• Granulated Sugar: Performs double-duty, sweetening the custard and providing the raw material for the brittle-like crust.
• Egg Yolks: Many recipes whip or blend the eggs with granulated sugar, but in testing I found that not only does this yield no benefits but, worse, it gives the custards an unappealing foamy skin. I got much better results by dissolving the sugar in the cream and then carefully tempering the eggs so they don’t scramble.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Get started by preheating your oven to 325°. You’ll need 4 (4-oz.) ramekins, so gather than together and place them in a 9" x 5" baking dish.

Now let’s get to work on the custard. Combine the cream, salt, and 1/3 cup sugar in a medium saucepan. Using a paring knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise, then run the back of the down each half to scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and the pod to the saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until small bubbles form around the edges and the mixture is just barely simmering, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat and let steep for 3 to 5 minutes before plucking out the vanilla pod; rinse and dry the pod and save it for another use.

Next, let’s temper some eggs! No, the yolks didn’t wake up in a bad mood. Rather, tempering just means to slowly introduce hot liquid to the yolks, gradually increasing their temperature so they incorporate into the liquid without scrambling. With that in mind, first whisk the yolks in a medium heatproof bowl until smooth. Now, while whisking constantly, slowly stream the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks. Take your time with this; the final mixture should be completely homogeneous.

Pour the egg mixture into the ramekins, dividing evenly. Pour hot tap water into the baking dish until it comes halfway up the sides of ramekins. Baking the custards in a hot water bath (known as a bain-marie) ensures slow, even cooking so they turn out smooth and creamy throughout.

Carefully transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake the custards until set around the edges but still jiggly (but not runny) in the center, about 40 minutes. The surest way to know when the custards are ready to exit the oven is to use an instant-read thermometer. Insert the thermometer into the center of a custard; it should register between 170° and 175°. Avoid overcooking or the custards will take on an eggy taste.

Using tongs, carefully lift the ramekins out of the baking dish and transfer them to a baking sheet. Let cool for 30 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap pressed directly to the surface of the custards and refrigerate for at least at least 2 hours and up to overnight; the custards will set further as they chill.

And now for some pyrotechnics! To create the brittle caramelized sugar top, you can use either a kitchen torch or your broiler. First, remove the plastic wrap from the custards and sprinkle each one with 1 1/2 tsp. sugar. For a torch, use circular motions to run the flame over the sugar until it melts, then bubbles, and finally turns golden brown. If broiling, broil, broil the custards as close to the heating element as possible, leaving the oven door ajar and closely monitoring the process of the sugar.

Let crèmes brûlée cool for 1 to 2 minutes before serving; the sugar top should quickly harden into a thin, glassy layer just begging to be cracked into with a spoon.

Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

Variations

Once you've got the basics down, you can incorporate countless fun flavors: Our eggnog crème brûlée and pumpkin custard are great options for the holidays. And if you're looking for the traditional flavors but with a creative twist, then look no further than our crème brûlée sugar cookies.

Recipe Tips

• How to avoid egginess: Eggs take on that “eggy” flavor when they exceed 180°. To guarantee your custard tastes primarily of vanilla and sweet cream rather than eggs, pull it from the oven when registers 170° to 175° on an instant-read thermometer.
• How to burn sugar the right way: Crème brûlée literally translates to "burnt cream," but it’s actually the sugar on top gets scorched, creating the dish’s signature crackly top. You can brûlée the sugar the way most pastry chefs do, with a kitchen torch, or you can use your broiler. If you go the latter route, make sure to position your oven rack as near to the heating element as possible and to keep the oven door ajar so you can constantly monitor the progress. The broiler may take a bit of time to produce uniform caramelization, so be diligent and patient!
• How to get more mileage from vanilla bean pods: Vanilla bean pods don’t come cheap; fortunately, they can (and should!) be reused. After steeping, rinse the pod and dry it thoroughly. From there, store it in an airtight container at room temperature or, better yet, in a jar of granulated sugar (hello, vanilla sugar!). The pod will still have plenty of flavor to give. You can use it to infuse cream, milk, or syrup up to three more time before it’s spent!

Storage

Crème brûlée is a fantastic make-ahead dessert. You can prepare it through step 4, then wrap the ramekins in plastic and refrigerate for up to 5 days. If using a torch, remove the ramekins from the refrigerator and warm them for a few minutes in a 400° oven to take the chill off, then sprinkle the top with sugar and brulée. If using a broiler, sprinkle the ramekins with sugar and stick them straight into the oven.