Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée


Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée
This crème brûlée recipe is a sophisticated combination in three layers: chocolate ganache, vanilla custard, and, of course, a delicious thin crust of caramel.

It is more complicated than a simple chocolate crème brûlée, but well worth the effort when you see your guests' reactions.
72 K 4.4/5 (5 reviews)
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Last modified on: December 30th 2019
For 4 people, you will need:

Change to the quantities for:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 50 min.
Resting: 20 min.
Cooking: 50 min.
All in all: 1 hour 60 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time

Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - 15 min.
Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée : Stage 1

Prepare the ganache

Prepare 350 g chocolate ganache.

Stage 2 - 4 min.
Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée : Stage 2
As soon as it is ready and while still hot, divide it evenly between the crème brulée dishes.

Put to wait in the fridge.

Stage 3 - 10 min.
Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée : Stage 3

Prepare the vanilla cream

Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C).

Put into a saucepan: 125 ml whole milk, 125 ml liquid cream and ½ vanilla pod with its seeds scraped out.

Bring to the boil on medium heat, then turn off the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.

Stage 4 - 2 min.
Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée : Stage 4
Put 30 g caster sugar and 3 egg yolks into a mixing bowl.

Stage 5 - 1 min.
Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée : Stage 5
Mix thoroughly.

Stage 6 - 20 min.
Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée : Stage 6
Then pour in the infused milk while stirring.

Stage 7 - 1 min.
Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée : Stage 7
Mix thoroughly.

Stage 8 - 2 min.
Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée : Stage 8
Clean the saucepan, then pour the vanilla-flavoured mixture back in through a fine strainer.

Stage 9 - 8 min.
Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée : Stage 9
Put the saucepan back on low heat and stir constantly while the custard thickens to "coating" consistency (you can leave a mark with your finger on the back of a wooden spatula or soft spatula, as shown in the photo.

Stage 10 - 20 min.
Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée : Stage 10
Stand the saucepan in cold water to cool the custard rapidly.

Stage 11 - 4 min.
Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée : Stage 11
When cooled, pour the custard as a second layer on top of the ganache.

Cooking

Method 1: stand the dishes in a larger dish or tray on a sheet of paper (optional). Pour boiling water around the dishes before putting in the oven.

Stage 12
Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée : Stage 12
Method 2: stand the dishes in an oven tray filled with boiling water.

Stage 13 - 30 min.
Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée : Stage 13
Leave to cook for about 30 minutes until the vanilla custard is set.

Take the dishes out of the oven and leave to cool, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight, covered with plastic film, so that the custard is really cold.

Stage 14

Caramelize the tops

This is THE tricky moment: burning...

Sprinkle a tablespoonful of sugar evenly on top of the custard, then burn it as shown in this short demonstration video.

Note: the best tool for melting the sugar is a blow-lamp. If you don't have one, see below how to use your grill.

Stage 15 - 2 min.
Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée : Stage 15
You should end up with the famous thin brown crust all over the surface of the custard.

Stage 16
Chocolate and vanilla crème brûlée : Stage 16
Put the crème brûlée back in the fridge for about 30 minutes for the caramel to harden and the custard to become cold again.

Reheat the crust a few seconds before serving your guests with the perfect crème brulée: chocolate ganache, cold creamy custard and a crust of hot, crunchy caramel.
Remarks
As I said, the perfect crème brûlée (for me) is a soft, cold custard with a thin, hot, brown and crunchy crust. Here are some tips:
  • Proceed in two stages: caramelize the tops and refrigerate for about half an hour to cool. Just before serving, re-heat with the blowlamp for just a few seconds.
  • It's easier to get a good crust if you use white sugar rather than brown, but it's a matter of taste.
If you do not have a blowlamp, you can try using your grill (broiler): stand the dishes in the grill pan (or a deep, solid baking tray), add cold water to half the depth of the dishes, and put under the grill for just one or two minutes (maximum) to caramelize the sugar. The cold water protects the custard against the heat, but it's very difficult because the grill is always too hot.
Keeping: Before caramelizing, a few days in the fridge covered with plastic film.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe50 RDI=20 %570 RDI=50 %480 RDI=70 %2,470 RDI=120 %10,360 RDI: 120 %
Per 100 g7 RDI=3 %80 RDI=7 %60 RDI=10 %330 RDI=20 %1,380 RDI: 20 %
Per person10 RDI=5 %140 RDI=10 %120 RDI=20 %620 RDI=30 %2,590 RDI: 30 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman Change to a man
Possible allergens in this recipe: milk, egg
How much will it cost?
  • For 4 people : 4.15 €
  • Per person : 1.05 €

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Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
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