Creme brûlée

TIME2 hours MAKES4 150ml ramekins PORTION
0.5x 1x 2x 3x

Creme brûlée is surprisingly easy to make, the main difficulty being to ensure that you cook it gently enough to avoid curdling and get that amazingly silky custardy texture.

The following recipe is adapted from RecipeTin Eats. Note that you can add additional flavours during the infusing step as you wish, some ideas are given below.

INGREDIENTS

  • 500ml cream (35% fat, ideally look for no-added ingredient cream)
  • 1 vanilla pod (can substitute with 1 tsp vanilla paste)
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 10g caster sugar for topping

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STEPS

  1. Add the cream to a saucepan. Using a paring knife scrape the vanilla seeds from the pod into the cream; add the pod and seeds to the sauce pan. Add {{additional_flavours}}, and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, then remove from the stove, and cover and steep for at least an hour, or until you are satisfied with the flavor.

  2. Preheat oven to 130ºC (120ºC fan), and boil a kettle of water. Place four 150 ml ramekins in a baking dish.

  3. Whisk yolks and sugar until just well combined, however try to avoid agitating the mixture too much or you will create bubbles. Strain out the vanilla pod and other solids from your cream, and pour cream in and gently stir to combine. Divide mixture between ramekins.

  4. Pour in enough boiling water so it comes halfway up the side of the ramekins, and bake for 25-40 minutes (highly dependent on the ramekin size and the oven — for shallow gratin dishes, 15 to 20 minutes, in ramekins they took 20 to 25 minutes), or until the custard is set but there is still a slightly wobble when you gently give the ramekin a little shake.

  5. When ready, remove from water, leave to cool, and then refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight (up to 3 days).

  6. Sprinkle sugar over the surface of the creme brûlée. Use a blow torch to melt and caramelise the sugar. While doing this, carefully tilt the ramekin with one hand turning it so that the caramel covers the top in a relatively even layer. Let them caramel harden and serve. Serve immediately.

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