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.
60 K 4.4/5 (5 reviews)
1 hour 60 min.
Average
4 people
7 IngredientsLast modified on: December 30th 2019
For 4 people, you will need:
- 1
350 g chocolate ganache - 2
125 ml whole milk - 3
125 ml liquid cream - 4
½ vanilla pod - 5
30 g caster sugar - 6
3 egg yolks - 7 4 tablespoons caster sugar
- Total weight: 755 grams
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 350 g 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: 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.
Put 30 g caster sugar and 3 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 | 50 RDI=20 % | 570 RDI=50 % | 480 RDI=70 % | 2,470 RDI=120 % | 10,360 RDI: 120 % |
| 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 4 people : 4.15 €
- 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: Little cakes with a chocolate and hazelnut centre, Chocolate Truffles, Flaky chocolate brioche, Hazelnut and chocolate biscuits, Two-coloured chocolate-orange tart, ... See them all 5
Whole milk
Like these other recipes: Panna cotta, Spinach and cauliflower with sesame béchamel sauce, Polenta à la Comtoise, Far Normandy-Brittany, Pistachio confectioner's custard, ... See them all 66
Liquid cream
Like these other recipes: Langres-style spinach, Polenta with spinach and soft-poached egg, Fresh spinach with cream, Croque-monsieur complet, Creamy asparagus and meat timbale, ... See them all 167
Caster sugar
Like these other recipes: Apple custard tart, Gâteau Basque , Pavlova, Almond dacquoise, Macarons (the original French macaroons) , ... See them all 356
Other recipes you may also like
How to prepare cockles
Cockles are small Atlantic shellfish which can be used in many delicious dishes. However, they need to be prepared with care before cooking. Here is a simple way to do this.March 13th 2013544 K 13.7 1 hour 55 min.
Chestnut cake
This delightful cake is doubly chestnutty: it contains chestnut flour, and sweet chestnut purée.May 8th 2020336 K5 1 hour 15 min.
Epiphany galette
Here is the recipe for the very classic but delicious "galette des rois" (Epiphany galette) in puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée) with almond cream or frangipane . You will also see some professional tips to easily handle the dough, and obtain a nice and regular galette.January 1st 2025291 K 24.5 3 hours 8 min.
Baked apples from St Aubin le Vertueux
Under this pretty name, my personal version of "Les pommes au four" (baked apples).February 21th 2011249 K 24.2 1 hour 7 min.
Fillings for macaroons
The macaroons recipe shows how to make these small cakes, and gives the example of a raspberry filling. Here are several other possibilities: Apricot macaroons, Chocolate macaroons, Mint macaroons, Blackcurrant macaroons.May 30th 2020297 K 24.3 2 hours 1 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-03-30)
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.