Caramelized crème brûlée, a dessert of custard with a caramelized sugar topping, tantalizes taste buds with its creamy texture and luscious caramel flavor. This classic French dish delights both casual dessert enthusiasts and discerning gourmets alike. Despite its seeming complexity, crème brûlée's simplicity belies the culinary expertise required to achieve its perfect balance of flavors and textures. This guide unveils the secrets of crafting the ultimate caramelized crème brûlée, from selecting the finest ingredients to mastering the delicate art of caramelization.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
CARAMEL CRèME BRûLéE
This delicate and decadent dessert is sure to please at your next friends and family gathering. It's creamy and sweet underneath a delightful torched sugar top...such an entertaining dessert to make, serve, and eat!
Provided by Jenn Cook
Categories Gluten Free Vegetarian
Time 1h10m
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Pre-heat oven to 325°F. Place four (4) ramekins in a baking tray with high sides and set aside for later.
- Pre-heat a stainless steel saucepan (preferably with a pour spout) on low heat until warmed. Add the water and sugar to make the caramel. Cook on lowest heat setting about 15 minutes, swirling the mixture every 1-2 minutes, until the caramel develops an amber color. Be careful not to burn the caramel.
- Carefully but quickly add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt to the pot and scrape the caramel off the bottom. The caramel will immediately start to harden when you pour the colder ingredients on top. Continue to cook on lowest heat setting about 5 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the caramel from settling and burning on the bottom of the pot, until the caramel is fully dissolved into the cream mixture and it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside for later.
- In a large bowl or measuring cup (preferably with a pour spout), thoroughly combine the egg yolks and sugar for the crème brûlée bake. Once combined, immediately begin tempering the egg with the cream mixture by slowly adding the cream to the egg (about 1/4 cup at a time), mixing constantly and thoroughly each time before adding more cream, until fully combined. Take your time with this step. You can never combine too slowly, but you can combine too quickly, and if you do combine too quickly, you'll end up with scrambled eggs in your crème brûlée!
- Using a clean pot, bring a few cups of water to just boiling and immediately remove from heat and set aside for later.
- Gently divide the crème brûlée bake between the four (4) ramekins. If you still have a significant amount of excess bubbles sitting on top of the crème brûlée bake, you can gently skim the top with a spoon to remove the majority before pouring into the ramekins, though this is purely for looks only. Carefully pour the hot (not boiling) water into the baking tray to create a water bath that raises about halfway up the ramekins.
- Bake at 325°F for about 38-40 minutes. When properly baked, your crème brûlée will have a uniform "bounce" from center to edge when gently touched in the center. If the center still seems under-cooked, let it bake another minute or two before removing to cool.
- Carefully remove the baking tray from the oven and set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes. Once the ramekins are cool enough to handle, remove from the water bath and let cool on a cookie rack for another 20-25 minutes. Then cover with saran wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving.
- When ready to serve, evenly sprinkle a thin layer of extra sugar on top and use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar until it create a hardened light brown surface on top. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts :
CARAMEL CREME BRULEE
This recipe comes out perfect every time and it's always a crowd-pleaser! A torch works best to get the sugar caramelized while keeping the rest of the custard cool. You may want to use more sugar to create a thicker, more even crust on top. -Jenna Fleming, Lowville, New York
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 1h
Yield 14 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325°. In a large saucepan, heat whipping cream and cream until bubbles form around sides of pan; remove from heat. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, extract and salt until blended but not foamy. Slowly stir in hot cream mixture., Place an ungreased broiler-safe 13x9-in. baking dish in a baking pan large enough to hold it without touching the sides. Pour egg mixture into dish. Place pan on oven rack; add very hot water to pan to within 1 in. of top of dish. Bake until center is just set and top appears dull, 40-50 minutes. Immediately remove dish from water bath to a wire rack; cool 1 hour. Refrigerate until cold., Mix brown sugar and remaining sugar. To caramelize topping with a kitchen torch, sprinkle custard evenly with sugar mixture. Hold torch flame about 2 in. above custard surface and rotate it slowly until sugar is evenly caramelized. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 1 hour., To caramelize topping in a broiler, let custard stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Preheat broiler. Sprinkle custard evenly with sugar mixture. Broil 3-4 in. from heat until sugar is caramelized, 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 1 hour.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 452 calories, Fat 35g fat (21g saturated fat), Cholesterol 298mg cholesterol, Sodium 86mg sodium, Carbohydrate 28g carbohydrate (27g sugars, Fiber 0 fiber), Protein 6g protein.
CARAMELIZED CREME BRULEE
A recipe from the Chef Michael Smith recipe files. Crunchy topping, velvety smooth pudding. Tends to be a bit rich, and sweet. The reason for using the baking torch is that you want the pudding to still be cold when you serve it. The torch only carmelizes, it doesn't heat up the whole pudding as putting it back under the broiler, will.
Provided by Evelyn L Jepson
Categories Dessert
Time 1h30m
Yield 5 pudding cups, 5 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Make the butterscotch, first.
- Put 1 cup sugar in saucepan, pour 1/4 cup water around sugar, put on stove, do not stir. Leave on stove, but watch, you will see the water boil away, leaving a clear thick substance. Let the substance(sugar), boil hard for 5 minutes. Then stir the sugar, till it turns a golden brown, and remove from heat.
- Stir in the cold milk, and whipping cream, vanilla extract and salt. The butterscotch will instantly harden.
- Put back on heat and reheat until the butterscotch softens and whisk till it incorporates with the milk.
- Let cool slightly.
- Start up your mixer, with the whisk attachment on medium speed. Slowly, pour in the milk mixture into the eggs, so they don't curdle. Do this until all the milk is in the eggs. Then put on a higher speed for 2 minutes.
- Strain, pudding through a strainer, into a clean bowl.
- Pour into 5-4 ounce timbals, 3/4 of the way up the bowl.
- Place the pudding cups in a tray, with sides, as you will be pouring water in around the bowls, about 1/2 way up the bowls.
- Bake in oven, preheated to 325F, for 30 minutes.
- Pudding should be set at sides, but jiggly in centre.
- Remove from bath, cool slightly, then put in fridge, to set.
- Just before serving, remove pudding from fridge.
- Spread 1 tbsp per pudding, evenly on top of pudding.
- Use baking torch, and caramelize topping.
- Serve.
CRèME BRûLéE
Crème Brûlée has been touted as a dessert for the elite and now is your time to be elite in the kitchen. With this simple recipe, you will be praising yourself for weeks to come. The crisp caramelized topping brings a beautiful crunch to this luscious and creamy dessert. You will attract amazed onlookers as you torch the sugar and watch it caramelize into the beautiful topping. As your spoon crunches through the sugar and down through the velvety custard, your taste buds will be weeping in anticipation. The fun with Crème Brûlée is that you can keep it plain old vanilla bean or you can infuse it with multiple flavours, such as; White Chocolate & Raspberries, Coffee, Salted Caramel, Key Lime, Lemon, or throw some cacao powder in the mixture and make a delicious chocolate Crème Brûlée.
Provided by Sam
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325°F
- 2. In a sauce pot, combine the whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla together and bring to simmer.
- 3. Separate egg yolks from egg whites, then beat the egg yolks.
- 4. Slowly add the cream mixture to the yolk mixture (Don't add it too quickly, or the hot mixture will "scramble" the egg yolks.) 5. Ad
- Crème Brûlée mixture to your favourite oven-safe serving bowls. 6. Place
- those bowls in a walled oven pan. 7. Fill
- an with water until halfway up the sides of the bowls (This is called a water bath, and will prevent your Crème Brûlée's from separating. Just before you add the water to the pan, boil it in a kettle) 8. Cook in ov
- n for 25-35 minutes (or until the centre still jiggles when shaken) 9. Remove fro
- water bath and allow to cool on wire rack for 30 minutes. 10. Wrap and
- ully cool in the fridge for at least 4 hours. 11. When Crèm
- Brûlées have cooled, add sugar evenly to the top. 12. With a blow
- orch, torch the topping until the sugar caramelizes. 13. Serve, eat w
- ll, and be happy!
CREME BRULEE
This is a very nice dessert to serve when entertaining. Delicious served over mangos sprinkled with rum, or strawberries with Grand Marnier® or Cointreau®.
Provided by COOKALOT
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European French
Time 2h40m
Yield 5
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
- Beat egg yolks, 4 tablespoons white sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until thick and creamy.
- Pour cream into a saucepan and stir over low heat until it almost comes to boil. Remove the cream from heat immediately. Stir cream into the egg yolk mixture; beat until combined.
- Pour cream mixture into the top pan of a double boiler. Stir over simmering water until mixture lightly coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Remove mixture from heat immediately and pour into a shallow heat-proof dish.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Preheat oven to broil.
- In a small bowl combine remaining 2 tablespoons white sugar and brown sugar. Sift this mixture evenly over custard. Place dish under broiler until sugar melts, about 2 minutes. Watch carefully so as not to burn.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate until custard is set again.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 561.4 calories, Carbohydrate 24 g, Cholesterol 416.7 mg, Fat 50.1 g, Protein 5.8 g, SaturatedFat 29.3 g, Sodium 55.3 mg, Sugar 20.4 g
CARAMELIZED-HONEY BRûLéE
If you don't have a kitchen torch, time to treat yourself. They're inexpensive and super fun to use-and you can't make this dessert without one.
Provided by Alison Roman
Categories Milk/Cream Egg Dessert Kid-Friendly Bon Appétit Anniversary Kidney Friendly Vegetarian Pescatarian Wheat/Gluten-Free Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free Kosher Small Plates
Yield 8 Servings
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 300°. Place 3/4 cup honey in a medium saucepan and scrape in vanilla seeds; save pod for another use. Cook over medium-high, swirling pan occasionally, until honey darkens and smells almost burnt (don't worry, this is what you're going for!) and bubbling begins to slow, 5-8 minutes. Gradually add cream, then milk, to caramelized honey, stirring constantly until combined.
- Whisk salt into egg yolks in a medium bowl, then stream in honey-caramel mixture, whisking constantly. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup. Divide among ramekins.
- Place ramekins in a large baking dish lined with a dish towel (it will keep them from sliding around) and pour in boiling water around ramekins so it comes halfway up sides.
- Bake until edges of custards are set but centers still jiggle slightly, 65-75 minutes. Remove ramekins from water bath and let custards cool, about 1 hour. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
- Just before serving, sprinkle custards evenly with sugar and heat with torch until sugar is melted and caramelized to a deep amber color. Your goal is to make a thin, smooth, brittle crust that shatters when broken.
- Do ahead: Custards can be made 5 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.
COFFEE-CARAMEL CRèME BRûLéE
The custard in this clever crème brùlée tastes just like a rich caramel cappuccino.
Provided by Sarah Patterson Scott
Categories Coffee Milk/Cream Egg Dessert Broil Valentine's Day Engagement Party Bon Appétit
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Bring 1 cup cream and coffee beans to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat; cover and let steep at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Stir 2/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, swirling pan occasionally, about 11 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add remaining 1 cup whipping cream (mixture will bubble up). Stir over low heat until caramel is smooth. Stir in half and half. Strain coffee-infused cream into caramel cream; discard coffee beans in strainer.
- Whisk yolks, salt, and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in cream mixture. Strain custard into large measuring cup.
- Arrange eight 2/3- to 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups in roasting pan. Divide custard among ramekins. Add enough warm water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins or custard cups.
- Bake custards until just set in center, 65 to 70 minutes. Transfer custards from water bath directly to refrigerator. Chill uncovered until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.
- Sprinkle top of each custard with 1 teaspoon raw sugar. Using kitchen torch, melt sugar on each custard until deep amber. (Alternatively, preheat broiler. Arrange custards on small rimmed baking sheet; broil until sugar topping melts and browns, about 2 minutes.) Refrigerate custards until sugar topping hardens, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour (do not chill longer than 1 hour or topping will start to soften). Serve custards cold.
CARAMELIZED BAKED CUSTARDS
Creme brulee is our favorite dessert and we love Irish cream liqueur, so I decided to put them together for a dinner finale we truly love. With a last name like Moynihan and a husband named Patrick, you can tell St. Patrick's Day is a very big holiday in our house! -Joyce Moynihan, Lakeville, Minnesota
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 40m
Yield 6 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325°. In a saucepan, heat cream and liqueur until bubbles form around sides of pan; remove from heat. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar until blended but not foamy. Slowly stir in hot cream mixture. Stir in vanilla., Place six 6-oz. broiler-safe ramekins in a baking pan large enough to hold them without touching. Pour cream mixture into ramekins. Place pan on oven rack; add very hot water to pan to within 1/2 in. of tops of ramekins., Bake 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean; centers will still be soft. Immediately remove ramekins from water bath to a wire rack; cool 10 minutes. Refrigerate until cold., To caramelize topping with a kitchen torch, sprinkle custards evenly with remaining sugar. Hold torch flame about 2 in. above custard surface and rotate it slowly until sugar is evenly caramelized. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 1 hour., To caramelize topping in a broiler, place ramekins on a baking sheet; let stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Preheat broiler. Sprinkle custards evenly with remaining sugar. Broil 3-4 in. from heat 5-7 minutes or until sugar is caramelized. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 1 hour.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 481 calories, Fat 35g fat (20g saturated fat), Cholesterol 283mg cholesterol, Sodium 68mg sodium, Carbohydrate 34g carbohydrate (31g sugars, Fiber 0 fiber), Protein 6g protein.
Tips:
- Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan to make the caramel to prevent scorching.
- Swirl the pan constantly while cooking the caramel to ensure even cooking and prevent crystallization.
- Do not overcook the caramel, as it will become bitter.
- Allow the caramel to cool slightly before pouring it into the ramekins, as it will continue to cook and thicken as it cools.
- Bake the crème brûlée in a water bath to prevent the custard from curdling.
- Chill the crème brûlée for at least 4 hours before serving, to allow it to set properly.
- Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar topping just before serving.
- Garnish the crème brûlée with fresh berries or a sprinkle of powdered sugar, if desired.
Conclusion:
Crème brûlée is a classic French dessert that is sure to impress your guests. With its creamy custard filling and caramelized sugar topping, it is a delicious and elegant treat that is perfect for any occasion. By following these tips, you can make sure that your crème brûlée turns out perfectly every time.
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