French Crème Brûlée
Crème brûlée is a yolk and cream custard baked in a water bath under a layer of sugar burnt to a crisp glass. Two steps define it: tempering, so the yolks do not scramble, and the water bath, so the texture comes out silken rather than grainy.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Calories
- 480
Crème brûlée is among France's best-known desserts, and its real pleasure is the contrast: a sugar crust that cracks under the spoon, and cold silken custard beneath. It needs at least four hours of chilling before the sugar is burnt.
Method
-
1
Infuse the cream
Warm the cream with the split vanilla pod over low heat until it just begins to steam without boiling, then take it off and cover for fifteen minutes to infuse.
⏱ 20 min -
2
Whisk the yolks
Whisk the yolks with the sugar and salt until pale and slightly thickened. Over-whisking incorporates air and leaves bubbles on the surface.
⏱ 4 min -
3
Temper
Pour the warm cream onto the yolks gradually while whisking — a spoonful at a time at first. Pouring it in all at once cooks the yolks and gives you lumps.
⏱ 5 min -
4
Strain
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to remove any strands of yolk and the vanilla pod, then divide it between shallow ramekins.
⏱ 4 min -
5
Water bath
Set the ramekins in a deep tray and fill it with hot water to halfway up their sides. The bath distributes the heat and stops the custard curdling.
⏱ 5 min -
6
Bake
Bake at 150°C for forty to forty-five minutes. The edges should set while the centre still wobbles slightly like jelly — that is the correct doneness.
⏱ 45 min -
7
Chill, then burn
Chill for four hours in the fridge, and minutes before serving scatter the coarse sugar and burn it with a blowtorch or under the grill until deep brown.
⏱ 245 min
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Tips that actually matter
- Tempering is not optional: hot cream added all at once turns the yolks into scrambled egg.
- The centre must wobble slightly when it leaves the oven — it firms up in the fridge.
- Burn the sugar minutes before serving. Left standing, moisture dissolves it and the crunch is gone.
- No blowtorch? Grill at full heat with the ramekins close to the element for two to three minutes.
People also ask
Why did my custard curdle?
The heat was too high or there was no water bath. 150°C and a water bath are both compulsory — excess heat coagulates the egg.
Why are there lumps of yolk in it?
You poured the hot cream in all at once. Add it gradually while whisking, and strain afterwards to guarantee smoothness.
Can I do it without a blowtorch?
Yes — the grill at full heat with the ramekins close to it for two to three minutes, watching closely. Or a metal spoon heated over a flame.
How long does it keep?
The custard keeps two days covered in the fridge. The sugar is burnt immediately before serving, never in advance.
Cook mode
French Crème Brûlée
-
1
Infuse the cream
Warm the cream with the split vanilla pod over low heat until it just begins to steam without boiling, then take it off and cover for fifteen minutes to infuse.
-
2
Whisk the yolks
Whisk the yolks with the sugar and salt until pale and slightly thickened. Over-whisking incorporates air and leaves bubbles on the surface.
-
3
Temper
Pour the warm cream onto the yolks gradually while whisking — a spoonful at a time at first. Pouring it in all at once cooks the yolks and gives you lumps.
-
4
Strain
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to remove any strands of yolk and the vanilla pod, then divide it between shallow ramekins.
-
5
Water bath
Set the ramekins in a deep tray and fill it with hot water to halfway up their sides. The bath distributes the heat and stops the custard curdling.
-
6
Bake
Bake at 150°C for forty to forty-five minutes. The edges should set while the centre still wobbles slightly like jelly — that is the correct doneness.
-
7
Chill, then burn
Chill for four hours in the fridge, and minutes before serving scatter the coarse sugar and burn it with a blowtorch or under the grill until deep brown.
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