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.
It is more complicated than a simple chocolate crème brûlée, but well worth the effort when you see your guests' reactions.
61 K 4.4/5 (5 reviews)
1 hour 60 min.
Average
8 people
7 IngredientsLast modified on: December 30th 2019
For 8 people, you will need:
- 1
1 lb + 8.6 oz chocolate ganache - 2
8.8 oz whole milk - 3
8.8 oz liquid cream - 4
1 vanilla pod - 5
2.1 oz caster sugar - 6
6 egg yolks - 7 8 tablespoons caster sugar
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 50 min.
Resting: 20 min.
Cooking: 50 min.
All in all: 1 hour 60 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 - 15 min.
Prepare the ganache
Prepare 1 lb + 8.6 oz chocolate ganache.Stage 2 - 4 min.
As soon as it is ready and while still hot, divide it evenly between the crème brulée dishes.
Put to wait in the fridge.
Put to wait in the fridge.
Stage 3 - 10 min.
Prepare the vanilla cream
Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C).Put into a saucepan: 8.8 oz whole milk, 8.8 oz liquid cream and 1 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.
Put 2.1 oz caster sugar and 6 egg yolks into a mixing bowl.
Stage 5 - 1 min.
Mix thoroughly.
Stage 6 - 20 min.
Then pour in the infused milk while stirring.
Stage 7 - 1 min.
Mix thoroughly.
Stage 8 - 2 min.
Clean the saucepan, then pour the vanilla-flavoured mixture back in through a fine strainer.
Stage 9 - 8 min.
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.
Stand the saucepan in cold water to cool the custard rapidly.
Stage 11 - 4 min.
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
Method 2: stand the dishes in an oven tray filled with boiling water.
Stage 13 - 30 min.
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.
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.
You should end up with the famous thin brown crust all over the surface of the custard.
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.
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.
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 recipe | 110 RDI=40 % | 1,140 RDI=110 % | 960 RDI=150 % | 4,950 RDI=250 % | 20,720 RDI: 250 % |
| Per 100 g | 7 RDI=3 % | 80 RDI=7 % | 60 RDI=10 % | 330 RDI=20 % | 1,380 RDI: 20 % |
| Per person | 10 RDI=5 % | 140 RDI=10 % | 120 RDI=20 % | 620 RDI=30 % | 2,590 RDI: 30 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 8 people : 8.25 €
- Per person : 1.05 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Chocolate ganache
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Two-coloured chocolate-orange tart, Little cakes with a chocolate and hazelnut centre, Chocolate Truffles, Hazelnut and chocolate biscuits, Flaky chocolate brioche, ... See them all 5
Liquid cream
Like these other recipes: Layered Leek and Egg Gratin , Eggs with green asparagus and Parmesan cheese, Sausage with duchess potatoes and a Mont d'Or fondue , Rustic chicken and mushroom pie, Pasta with mustard-cream sauce, ... See them all 168
Whole milk
Like these other recipes: Potimarron and leek soup, Coconut-vanilla cream for Elsa , Canadian rice pudding, Paris flan filling, Smoky potato and potimarron gratin, ... See them all 66
Caster sugar
Like these other recipes: Two-coloured chocolate-orange tart, Clementine Creamy, Crème caramel, Plain cake, Citrus tart, ... See them all 359
Other recipes you may also like
Croque-monsieur
A classic of French "street food" or bistros: a slice of ham between two slices of bread spread with béchamel sauce. The sandwich is then sprinkled with cheese and toasted in the oven.August 1st 2010259 K4 50 min.
Fruit crémeux
This kind of "crémeux" (it means "creamy", but contains no actual cream) is a basic recipe in the repertoire of French pastry chefs. It is smoother but less frothy than a mousse and uses gelatin to set it as it cools. Often used as a tart filling or in other desserts, crémeux is usually poured to...September 12th 2020184 K2.5 40 min.
Chocolate tart
As you can see, there's very little added sugar in this recipe, so it's a very chocolatey and bitter-sweet tart.November 16th 2013294 K 15 2 hours 30 min.
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...December 31th 20111.66 M 74.3 4 hours 40 min.
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,...October 3rd 20191.59 M 714.6 2 hours 40 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-05-11)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
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.