Crème brulée
Crème brûlée (burned cream) is quite easy to prepare: it's a simple egg-cream dessert. The only difficulty is in making the delicious crunchy caramel layer on top. The perfect crème brulée (for me) is a cold and soft cream, with on top a nice hot caramel crust.
This is a completely new version of the former recipe, with video.
This is a completely new version of the former recipe, with video.
4 hours 40 min.
Average
6 people
6 IngredientsLast modified on: December 31th 2011
For 6 people, you will need:
- 1
250 ml milk - 2
250 ml cream - 3
60 g caster sugar - 4
1 vanilla pod - 5
6 egg yolks - 6 6 tablespoons caster sugar
- Total weight: 775 grams
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 25 min.
Resting: 3 hours 45 min.
Cooking: 30 min.
All in all: 4 hours 40 min.
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 - 5 min.
Into a pan pour 250 ml milk, 250 ml cream, and 1 vanilla pod, cut in half lengthways, and all the small black seeds inside added to the milk+cream mix.
Bring to the boil over medium heat.
Remove from heat, cover and leave the vanilla to infuse for about 10-15 minutes.
Bring to the boil over medium heat.
Remove from heat, cover and leave the vanilla to infuse for about 10-15 minutes.
Stage 2 - 15 min.
Meanwhile, in the solid shelf of your oven (or a deep baking sheet), put a large sheet of paper.
The paper is there to prevent boiling water to making bubbles when cooking, and so keep the cream smooth.
The paper is there to prevent boiling water to making bubbles when cooking, and so keep the cream smooth.
Stage 3 - 2 min.
Place your dishes on it.
Stage 4 - 10 min.
Stage 5 - 2 min.
Stage 6 - 2 min.
Pour the vanilla milk onto into the egg mixture while stirring.
Stage 7
Stop stirring as soon as mixed.
Stage 8 - 5 min.
Rinse pan and pour contents of bowl back into pan through a strainer...
Stage 9
... to remove all pieces of vanilla pod, but NOT the small black grains (so not too fine a strainer).
Stage 10
Your cream is ready for cooking.
Stage 11 - 5 min.
A little trick: If you want the little black vanilla seeds to be well distributed in the cream, you must prevent them to fall in the bottom of the pots, which inevitably comes with a liquid preparation as it.
The trick is therefore a slightly pre-cook of the cream over low heat, like a real custard sauce (crème anglaise), to thicken a little, until we can trace with his finger on the spatula and the line stay (as pictured). Note: If you do this, reduce the oven cooking time to about 15 minutes.
The trick is therefore a slightly pre-cook of the cream over low heat, like a real custard sauce (crème anglaise), to thicken a little, until we can trace with his finger on the spatula and the line stay (as pictured). Note: If you do this, reduce the oven cooking time to about 15 minutes.
Stage 12 - 20 min.
Divide cream between dishes, put in the oven, and pour boiling water into the tray.
Cook for about 20 minutes, until creams are just cooked but still soft.
Cook for about 20 minutes, until creams are just cooked but still soft.
Stage 13 - 3 hours
Remove from oven, allow creams to cool for about one hour, then refrigerate for at least two hours.
Creams should be really cold.
Creams should be really cold.
Stage 14 - 2 min.
This is THE delicate moment, burning...
Pour a tablespoon of sugar on top of cream, and burn it like on this small demonstration video.
Note: the best tool for burning cream is a blow-lamp. If you don't have one, see below how to use your grill.
Pour a tablespoon of sugar on top of cream, and burn it like on this small demonstration video.
Note: the best tool for burning cream is a blow-lamp. If you don't have one, see below how to use your grill.
Stage 15
In the end you should get the famous thin brown crust all over the surface of the cream.
Stage 16 - 30 min.
Put the cream back in the fridge for about 30 minutes for caramel to set and become crunchy, and the cream cold again.
Reheat crust a few seconds before serving your guests with the perfect crème brulée: cold cream with a fine layer of hot crunchy caramel.
Reheat crust a few seconds before serving your guests with the perfect crème brulée: cold cream with a fine layer of hot crunchy caramel.
Remarks
As I said, the perfect crème brûlée (for me) is a soft and cold cream with a thin hot, brown and crunchy crust. Here are some tips:
If you do not have a blowlamp, you can try using your grill: put creams in the grill pan (or deep solid baking sheet), add cold water to half the depth of the dishes, and put under grill for just one or two minutes (maximum) to caramelize sugar. Cold water is there to protect cream against the heat, but it's very difficult because the grill is always too hot.
Some different flavours:
- Pre-cook the cream a little in the pan before putting into dishes, it will be less liquid, so the black grains of vanilla will be evenly mixed in the cream and not sink to the bottom. If you do this, reduce the oven cooking time to about 15 minutes.
- Proceed in two stages: burn the creams and refrigerate for about half an hour to cool. Just before serving, re-heat them 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: put creams in the grill pan (or deep solid baking sheet), add cold water to half the depth of the dishes, and put under grill for just one or two minutes (maximum) to caramelize sugar. Cold water is there to protect cream against the heat, but it's very difficult because the grill is always too hot.
Some different flavours:
- Crème brûlée with almonds: add 20 g ground almonds to the milk before heating, and add 3 drops of almond extract to the cream before pouring into dishes.
- Mint and chocolate crème brûlée: add a handful of mint leaves (cut roughly with scissors) to the milk. Proceed as usual, but when burned and cooled, put a small layer of melted chocolate onto the brown crust, put back in the fridge for a few minutes until the chocolate sets.
- Pear and maple syrup crème brûlée: dice pears like for verre façon "Belle Hélène", put these into dishes before adding cream and proceed as usual. Surprise your guests - don't tell them what's in your Crème brûlée!
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 40 RDI=20 % | 170 RDI=20 % | 130 RDI=20 % | 1,960 RDI=100 % | 8,220 RDI: 100 % |
| Per 100 g | 5 RDI=2 % | 20 RDI=2 % | 20 RDI=2 % | 250 RDI=10 % | 1,060 RDI: 10 % |
| Per person | 6 RDI=3 % | 30 RDI=3 % | 20 RDI=3 % | 330 RDI=20 % | 1,370 RDI: 20 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 6 people : 4.35 €
- Per person : 0.75 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Some other recipes using this recipe
Belle-helene in a glass
It's a recipe where you make 4 layers of different creams in a small glass: vanilla cream, small dice of pear cooked in maple syrup, chocolate mousse and whipped cream. It should be served to your guests cool but not too cold .
264 K3.8 1 hour 50 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Milk
Like these other recipes: Little vanilla, clementine and chestnut verrines, "Psychedelic" sandwich bread, Chocolate eclairs, Prune Far, Crackers, ... See them all 60
Cream
Like these other recipes: Spaghetti Carbonara, Crispy spinach rolls, "Moelleux" cake batter, Chocolate cream, Spinach à la Lorraine, ... See them all 117
Caster sugar
Like these other recipes: Strawberry Charlotte, Caramelized apple rice pudding, Apple and almond cake, Pears in red wine with blackcurrant , Pistachio shortbread biscuits, ... See them all 360
Egg yolk
Like these other recipes: Clementine confectioner's custard, Pistachio ice cream, Chocolate cream, Clementine Creamy, Spaghetti with smoked salmon, ... See them all 74
Other recipes you may also like
Macarons (the original French macaroons)
This recipe really is "of the moment": the success of these small, highly-coloured cakes, in an infinite variety of flavours, is impressive. It's a recipe which needs some care, in order to produce a result worthy of a professional pastrychef. No problem, I will guide you through the recipe, particularly the tricky parts. This variety of flavours means that I test many alternatives, so don't be surprised if in the pictures the colour of the macarons changes, I used the best photograph available... October 3rd 20191.60 M 714.6 2 hours 40 min.
Coconut paste
Similar to marzipan or walnut paste, coconut paste can be used in a variety of cake or sweet recipes, but you can enjoy munching it just as it is. October 13th 2010300 K 14.2 15 min.
Four quarters
It's "the simpliest cake in the world", called four quarters, because it's made with 1/4 eggs, 1/4 sugar, 1/4 flour and 1/4 butter. February 21th 2011326 K3.7 1 hour 15 min.
Guacamole
For this typically Mexican recipe there are two main methods: smooth mashed avocado (made with a blender), or simple mashed avocado (made with a fork) with small pieces. And you can add, or not, finely diced tomato. You will find the first version (smooth) below. November 26th 2011306 K4.1 1 hour 25 min.
New tiramisu
This new version of tiramisu is easier, and in my opinion much better. You will certainly appreciate, like me, the light creamy taste, this time presented in brandy goblets. January 19th 2015391 K3.3 55 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-09-07)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Follow this recipe (as 9 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.
The 7 comments already posted on this recipe
Bon, ceci dit, avec les recettes de ce site vous avez un bouton de conversion automatique dans tous les sens.