Serves 6
Prep 15 min
Bake 35 min
Chill 4 hrs+
Level Easy
Crème brûlée is one of those desserts that makes people at the table do something very close to applauding. The caramelised sugar lid, the resistance it gives when you tap it with a spoon, the crack as it breaks, the cold cream beneath — it is a genuinely theatrical eating experience that happens to be made from four ingredients and require no technical skill beyond patient mixing and attention to the oven temperature.
The only thing that can go wrong is overcooked custard. Crème brûlée baked at the wrong temperature turns grainy and weepy. Baked correctly at a gentle 150°C in a water bath, it sets to the silkiest, most delicate custard you have ever eaten. The water bath regulates temperature, prevents the edges from cooking faster than the centre, and is the entire technical trick of the recipe. Everything else is just whisking and pouring.
Ingredients
600 ml double cream
1 vanilla pod (or 2 tsp paste)
6 large egg yolks
80 g caster sugar (for custard)
6 tsp caster sugar (for the brûlée top)
On vanilla: Use a real vanilla pod if you can. Split it lengthways, scrape the seeds into the cream, and drop the pod in too while it heats. The flecks of vanilla seed throughout the finished cream are part of the appearance and the flavour. Vanilla paste (not extract) is a very good alternative. Vanilla extract is acceptable but noticeably less fragrant.
Instructions
Infuse the cream. Pour the cream into a small saucepan. Split the vanilla pod, scrape the seeds in, and add the empty pod too. Heat over medium heat until just below simmering — small bubbles will form at the edges. Remove from heat, cover, and leave to infuse for 15–20 minutes. Remove the pod.
Whisk yolks and sugar. Beat the egg yolks with the 80 g of caster sugar until pale and slightly thickened — about 2 minutes with a whisk. The mixture should be uniformly pale yellow with no streaks of yolk.
Temper the cream into the yolks. Pour the warm cream gradually into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Start with a small splash, whisk it in, then add the rest in a slow stream. This tempering prevents the hot cream from scrambling the eggs. The mixture will be pale, thin, and glossy.
Strain and skim. Pour the custard mixture through a fine sieve into a jug. Let it settle for a minute, then skim any foam from the surface with a spoon. Foam on the surface bakes into an unpleasant bubbly crust rather than the smooth finish you want.
Set up the water bath. Place six shallow ramekins in a deep roasting tray. Pour the custard evenly between them. Carefully pour boiling water into the roasting tray until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. The water must be boiling — cold water takes too long to reach temperature and the outside of the custard overcooks while the centre is still catching up.
Bake at 150°C for 30–38 minutes. The custard is done when the edges are fully set and the centre has a slight wobble — like set jelly, not liquid. It will look almost underdone. It continues setting as it cools. Err on the side of underdone — a slightly wobbly centre is perfect; an overcooked one is grainy and cannot be fixed.
Cool and refrigerate — minimum 4 hours. Remove from the water bath and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. The surface must be completely cold and dry before brûléeing or the sugar will not caramelise properly.
Brûlée immediately before serving. Sprinkle 1 level teaspoon of caster sugar evenly over each custard. Hold a kitchen blowtorch 5–8 cm above the surface and move in slow circles until the sugar melts, bubbles, and darkens to a deep amber. Leave for 60 seconds to cool and harden, then serve immediately — the caramel softens as it sits.
🔥No blowtorch? Place the ramekins under a preheated grill (broiler) at maximum heat, as close to the element as they will safely go. Watch constantly — under the grill the sugar goes from perfect to burnt in under 30 seconds. The result is slightly less even than a blowtorch but works well. A blowtorch is inexpensive and worth buying — it also works for charring peppers and toasting meringues.
☕Coffee crème brûlée: Stir 1 tbsp of finely ground espresso into the cream when heating, then strain it out. The coffee infuses into the custard and gives it a mocha depth that works beautifully against the bitter caramel top.
🍊Orange crème brûlée: Add the finely grated zest of one orange to the cream while infusing. A tiny splash of Grand Marnier into the custard mixture before baking makes this version exceptional.
Brûlée immediately before serving, never ahead of time. The caramel top absorbs moisture from the cream beneath and from the air — within 20–30 minutes it goes from crisp and shattering to soft and sticky. The custard can be made 2 days ahead; the brûlée must be done in the minute before the dessert is served.
The crack
There is a specific satisfaction in cracking the brûlée top that is genuinely unique to this dessert. The combination of the thin, brittle caramel giving way to cold, rich vanilla cream is one of those eating experiences that is greater than the sum of its parts. It is also a dessert that looks completely professional on a table even when made by someone who has never made it before — the ramekins, the caramel, the vanilla seeds in the cream all signal effort and care. Most of the effort is waiting for it to chill.
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