Crème Brûlée

I rarely order dessert when at a restaurant as I find most of them rather boring or just not worth the calories but occasionally I will get a craving for a good crème brûlée and if it’s on the menu I’ll break down and have one. If I make it at home I have to be sure I’m having guests otherwise I’ll end up eating them all myself and give my doctor a fit! This recipe is definitely worth the occasional splurge, creamy, rich and very decadent, it will surely put a smile on the face of anyone lucky enough to taste it. 

Crème Brûlée

Makes 4-6oz or 6-4oz ramekins 

2 Cups/473ml of heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and the seeds scraped out

1/8 t salt

5 large egg yolks

1/2C/100g granulated sugar plus about 1/4C/50g to caramelized on top

• Place the heavy cream into a small sauce pan and add the vanilla bean and seeds and heat over medium flame until scalding then turn off the heat and let it infuse for 5-10 minutes.


• Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C
• While the cream is infusing, whisk together the egg yolks, salt and 1/2C of sugar until pale and thick about 2-3 minutes. 
• Remove the vanilla bean from the cream, rinse it off and reserve it for another use.  
• Reheat the cream until scalding again then whisk about 1/3 of it into the egg and sugar mixture to temper then gradually whisk in the remaining cream and mix until throughly combined. Try not to create too much foam on top.
• Fill the ramekins almost to the very top with the custard mixture. Using a spoon, remove any foam from the surface and then place them into a larger baking pan with at least 2” /5cm sides. 
• Fill the baking pan with boiling water until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins and place it into the preheated oven. 
• Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes or until just set and the centers are still a little jiggly. They will firm up when cold. 
• Remove the baking pan from the oven and using a pair of tongs carefully lift out the ramekins and place on a cooling rack for about an hour then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. 
• When you are ready to serve them, remove the ramekins from the refrigerator and sprinkle the tops with a thin layer of sugar and using a small gas torch melt the sugar until it is caramelized and slightly burnt. Take care not to overheat the custard or it may break and turn grainy. 
• Place the caramelized ramekins into the freezer to harden the sugar for just a few minutes then serve or refrigerate for up to an hour then serve.