Ask me to tell you what my favorite desserts are and I will most definitely say homemade vanilla ice cream, old fashioned banana pudding, coconut pound cake, gooey chocolatey brownies and creme brulee. I get creme brulee anytime I can and have had some yummy ones here and there. They are, however, no match for homemade.
While it sounds intimidating, creme brulee is relatively easy to make. It a basic baked custard, but the magic happens when you melt the sugar on top. That cracking sound when you break through the crunchy top is an amazing. I’ve worked with a bunch of different custard recipes, but the one that is easiest, creamiest and practically foolproof was inspired by Ree Drummond and Alton Brown. Heavy cream makes it fabulous, but it’s still yummy using equal parts heavy cream and half & half. I also love a super vanilla flavor, so if you are a more subtle vanilla person, just use the vanilla bean OR the extract instead of both.
Creamy Creme Brulee
Ingredients
1 quart heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 cup sugar, divided
6 large egg yolks
hot water
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Place the cream, vanilla bean and seeds, and vanilla extract into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it starts to lighten in color. Add the warm cream a little at a time, stirring continually until well incorporated.
4. Pour the custard base into ramekins until they’re 3/4 full. Place the ramekins into a rimmed pan then pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. (Tip: Place the pan in the oven before adding the water.)
5. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still a little jiggly in the center. This will take about 40 minutes. Watch them carefully toward the end so that they don’t brown. Remove the ramekins from the pan and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
6. About 30 minutes before serving, remove the custards from the refrigerator. Divide the remaining sugar equally among the ramekins and give each one a little shake to spread it evenly on top. Using a torch, caramelize the sugar and create that amazing crispy top. This is the brulee part! (Another little tip – don’t forget to get the fuel for the torch, most torches don’t come with it.) If you don’t have a torch, this part can be done under the broiler.
You will be everyone’s very favorite person when you serve this incredible dessert! We usually double this recipe to ensure plenty of leftovers.
It looks so good. I have never tried Creme Brulee before but I hear it’s Heaven.