Indulge in the Decadence: Crème Brûlée, a Culinary Symphony of Creamy Custard and Caramelized Sugar
Crème brûlée, a symphony of flavors and textures, is a classic French dessert that has captivated taste buds for centuries. This elegant custard-based dish features a velvety smooth interior enveloped in a crisp, caramelized sugar crust. The contrasting textures create a delightful sensory experience that leaves you craving more.
This article presents a collection of crème brûlée recipes, each offering unique variations on this timeless dessert. From the classic vanilla crème brûlée to innovative flavors like chocolate, coffee, and even savory options, these recipes cater to every palate. Whether you're a seasoned baker or just starting your culinary journey, you'll find recipes with detailed instructions and helpful tips to guide you through the process.
Prepare to embark on a delightful journey as we explore the world of crème brûlée. Discover the secrets of creating the perfect custard, the art of achieving that perfect caramelized crust, and the endless possibilities for flavor combinations. Let your taste buds rejoice in the symphony of crème brûlée, a dessert that truly embodies culinary excellence.
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.
CREME BRULEE
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of the sugar together on low speed until just combined. Meanwhile, scald the cream in a small saucepan until it's very hot to the touch but not boiled. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Add the vanilla and orange liqueur and pour into 6 to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.
- Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are set when gently shaken. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm.
- To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar carmelizes evenly. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.
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 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.
CARAMEL APPLE CREME BRULEE
Here's the cream of the apple dessert crop. Fruit, caramel and cinnamon flavors enhance the rich, velvety custard. Served warm or chilled, it's a classic end to a meal. -Cheryl Perry, Hertford, North Carolina
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 1h35m
Yield 6 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Place apples in a microwave-safe dish; cover with water. Cover and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Drain apples and pat dry on paper towel. Arrange apples in the bottoms of six 6-oz. ramekins or custard cups. Top with caramel topping; set aside., In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar and cinnamon; stir in cream. Heat over medium heat until bubbles form around sides of pan. Remove from the heat; stir a small amount of hot mixture into the egg yolks. Return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Stir in vanilla., Pour into prepared ramekins. Place ramekins in a baking pan; add 1 in. of boiling water to pan. Bake, uncovered, at 325° until centers are just set (mixture will jiggle), 55-60 minutes. Remove ramekins from water bath; cool for 20 minutes. Cover and refrigerate overnight., If using a creme brulee torch, sprinkle remaining 4 tablespoons sugar evenly over custards. Heat sugar with the torch until caramelized. Serve immediately., If broiling the custards, place ramekins on a baking sheet; let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 4 tablespoons sugar evenly over custards. Broil 8 in. from the heat for 4-7 minutes or until sugar is caramelized. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 504 calories, Fat 33g fat (20g saturated fat), Cholesterol 280mg cholesterol, Sodium 114mg sodium, Carbohydrate 50g carbohydrate (33g sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 4g protein.
CHOCOLATE CREME BRULEE
This chocolate-centric creme brulee retains the creaminess and caramelized-sugar topping of the classic version. Though caramel and chocolate are considered sweets, the real secret to their allure is an undercurrent of bitterness, a natural component of cacao and burned sugar.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes
Yield Makes 4 (or enough for 15 sandwiches)
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Makethe creme brulee: Heat creamand 1/4 cup sugar in a smallsaucepan over medium heat,stirring, until sugar dissolvesand the cream just begins tosimmer. Add chocolate, andwhisk until melted and smooth.
- Whisk remaining 3 tablespoonssugar with the egg yolksin a medium bowl. Slowly pourcream mixture into yolk mixture,whisking constantly. Straincustard through a fine sieve.
- Pour custard into four 4-ounceramekins. Transfer ramekins toa roasting pan, and fill pan withenough boiling water to reachhalfway up the sides of ramekins.Bake until custards are justset, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.Carefully remove from water,and let custards cool.
- Assemble the cremes brulees: Refrigerate for 1 hour. Top each with 1 tablespoon sugar. Hold asmall handheld kitchen torch at a 90-degree angle 3 to 4 inches from surface of custard. Moveflame back and forth until surface is caramelized. Alternatively, broil custards on top rack untilcaramelized, 1 to 2 minutes.
Tips:
- Use high-quality ingredients, especially the cream and eggs. Fresh, full-fat cream will give you the richest flavor and texture.
- Make sure the cream and milk are very hot before adding them to the egg yolks. This will help to prevent the eggs from curdling.
- Strain the custard mixture through a fine-mesh sieve before baking. This will remove any lumps and ensure a smooth, creamy texture.
- Bake the crème brûlée in a water bath. This will help to prevent the custard from curdling and will also create a more evenly cooked custard.
- Chill the crème brûlée for at least 4 hours before serving. This will allow the custard to set properly and will also make it easier to caramelize the sugar topping.
- Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar topping. This will give you a beautiful, even caramel layer.
Conclusion:
Crème brûlée is a delicious and elegant dessert that is perfect for any occasion. With careful attention to detail, you can easily make this classic French dessert at home. So next time you're looking for a special treat, give crème brûlée a try!
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