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.
66 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
1 ½ cup chocolate ganache - 2
2⁄3 cup whole milk - 3
2⁄3 cup liquid cream - 4
½ vanilla pod - 5
2 tablespoons caster sugar - 6
3 egg yolks - 7 4 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 ½ cup 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: 2⁄3 cup whole milk, 2⁄3 cup 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 2 tablespoons 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: Flaky chocolate brioche, Two-coloured chocolate-orange tart, Chocolate Truffles, Hazelnut and chocolate biscuits, Little cakes with a chocolate and hazelnut centre, ... See them all 5
Liquid cream
Like these other recipes: Black Forest gateau, Sauce Normande (for fish), Chocolate mug cake, Firied fillet of sea bream with polenta, Soft Croque-monsieur with 3 cheeses, ... See them all 170
Whole milk
Like these other recipes: Gâteau Basque , Rice pudding with chestnuts and poached pears, Chantilly rice pudding, Pistachio confectioner's custard, Cannelés, ... See them all 67
Caster sugar
Like these other recipes: Valay-Brest, Madeleines, Strawberry, kiwi and mascarpone verrines, Crêpes Suzette, Flambéd bananas , ... See them all 360
Other recipes you may also like
Mixed salad
Mixed salad is one of those simple but delicious summer recipes which go so well with a barbeque. It's a mix of several fresh vegetables, herbs and French dressing (vinaigrette).February 21th 2011294 K4.6 1 hour
Ocean bread
The idea for this bread was inspired by an amusing coincidence: the proportion of salt needed for good bread is 35 g of salt per litre of water, which just happens to be the exact concentration of salt in the Atlantic Ocean. So it's possible to make bread using sea water to provide all the salt...October 24th 2017180 K 63.8 5 hours 7 min.
Potato and broccoli gratin
A very simple recipe: a layer of potatoes, a layer of broccoli, bechamel sauce and grated cheese.September 16th 2024234 K3.8 2 hours 1 min.
"Land and sea" kebabs
For these kebabs, cubes of lime-marinated fish (sea) alternate with mushrooms and bacon (land) along the skewer.May 10th 2023109 K5 45 min.
Breton Sandwich
This is a sandwich with a difference: its Breton character comes not only from the crab in mayonnaise, but also from pieces of "galette" (buckwheat pancake), fried in butter.November 11th 201560 K3.8 25 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-07-06)
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.