Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Crème Brûlée (French vanilla custard) Recipe
Here’s a basic Crème Brûlée with a silky, easy and wealthy custard topped with a skinny pane of crunchy toffee. That is French stylish personified in a dessert – stylish however not stuffy, and oh-so-effortless! It takes simply 4 easy substances: cream, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla. It’s a superb make-ahead dessert for a chic feast, but simple sufficient to whip up for dinner tonight.
And no, you don’t even want a blow torch to make the toffee topping!
I’ll always remember the primary time I made Crème Brûlée as a result of I used to be floored by how simple it was. I believe I simply assumed that one thing that appears and tastes so unimaginable, and seems on the menus of nice eating places would be actually onerous to make!
I believe you too will probably be so shocked how simple Crème Brûlée is! No fancy devices wanted (I’ll get to the toffee topping later :-)) and simply 4 easy steps:
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Infuse cream with vanilla (10 minute simmer, and stand for 1 hour);
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Whisk egg yolks and sugar, then cream;
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Pour into ramekins, bake, then chill;
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Sprinkle with sugar and at last blast with blowtorch or stick it underneath a screaming sizzling grill to type the toffee topping.
“Wait, that’s it??”, I hear you exclaim incredulously. Yep. You barely want a recipe! 😂
(PS. Learn how to pronounce Crème Brûlée: krem broo-lay. Bonus factors if you are able to do the guttural French accent. I can’t – I can solely say it with an terrible Aussie drawl!)
Right here’s all you must make Crème Brûlée:
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Cream – Heavy / thickened or pure cream works simply high quality right here. For those who go for low-fat cream, you’ll miss the wealthy mouthfeel however the recipe does nonetheless work;
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Vanilla bean – Whereas actual vanilla beans will give the perfect and purest vanilla flavour, you should utilize vanilla bean paste as a substitute. Vanilla bean paste nonetheless has the little black vanilla seeds in it, so it’ll look the identical however the vanilla flavour will not be fairly as pure. Vanilla extract additionally works, although it’s one other step down from the “actual factor”, albeit a superb economical choice. I personally wouldn’t suggest making Crème Brûlée utilizing imitation vanilla essence. It form of defeats the aim …
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Sugar – Some for mixing into the custard, and a bit for sprinkling on the floor to make the paper-thin, shatteringly crispy topping!
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Egg yolks – This offers Crème Brûlée its velvety mouthfeel in addition to making the custard set.
Leftover egg whites – Right here’s my checklist of what I do with them and all my egg white recipes may be discovered on this recipe assortment.
A classy French baked custard dessert everyone is aware of and loves … but it’s a stroll within the park to make!
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Infuse cream – Place vanilla seeds, empty vanilla bean pod and cream in a saucepan, and simmer over low warmth for 10 minutes. Then depart to face for 1 hour so the cream is infused with the vanilla flavour and cools (so it doesn’t cook dinner the egg after we add it). I have a tendency to do that with the lid off as a result of I don’t like condensation dripping into my cream from the lid if you happen to cowl it. (I all the time suppose, “It’s diluting the cream!”, which truly makes completely no sense 😂.)
It does imply eradicating the pores and skin that types on the floor earlier than mixing into the egg;
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Make egg combination – Whisk egg yolks with the sugar;
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Make custard – Pour the cream into the egg combination then whisk till simply mixed. Don’t whisk greater than essential as this creates air bubbles. Although let’s be trustworthy, it’s actually not the top of the world in case you have an air bubble or two in your custard! I’m simply being a perfectionist right here :-);
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Fill ramekins – This recipe makes 500ml / 2 cups of custard, in order that’s 4 servings of 125ml / ½ cup every. Small ramekins holding round 150ml / ⅔ cup are a great measurement – that is what I used.
Eating places typically serve Crème Brûlée in a flatter, bigger dish so there’s extra floor space and thus extra toffee motion. I applaud this intelligent transfer – all of us love that toffee high, it’s the perfect half! – however regretfully I shouldn’t have such a dish;
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Water tub – Place ramekins in a deep(-ish) roasting pan, then fill the pan with boiling water so it comes midway up the facet of the ramekins. Don’t go any greater than this in any other case the ramekins will float round within the water!
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Bake 35 – 40 minutes or till the custard appears to be like and feels set however nonetheless wobbles if you (gently!) shake the ramekin.
How set Crème Brûlée ought to be
Crème Brûlée is meant to be a comfortable custard with a texture like a thick Greek yogurt. You shouldn’t be in a position to lower via it like cake! While you scoop some from the ramekin, the partitions of the custard remaining within the ramekin ought to barely be holding upright, however shouldn’t run in all places both. It ought to soften in your mouth like a wealthy, velvety cream. It shouldn’t even have the feel of soppy jelly!
A blow torch makes brief work of the crisp toffee topping. Simply sprinkle with sugar and blast with the blow torch for round 6 to 10 seconds till the sugar melts and turns golden. It’s going to then rapidly harden because it cools.
Nevertheless, if you happen to don’t have a blow torch, simply stick the ramekins underneath a screaming sizzling grill / broiler for round 45 seconds to 1 minute so the sugar melts. It really works simply high quality, although my two little ideas are: (1) the brûlée ought to be refrigerated in a single day to make sure it’s actually chilly to assist forestall the custard from melting; and (2) after the sugar is melted, pop the Crème Brûlées again within the fridge for at the very least 20 minutes, and as much as 1 hour. That is as a result of the grill takes longer than a blow torch so the floor of the custard underneath the caramel will soften somewhat bit.
That second if you crack via the caramel topping and are greeted with the sight of silky easy custard … *faint* . Heaven in a ramekin!
As for what to serve Crème Brûlée with? So many choices! It makes a really elegant ending to any dinner, however in fact the plain choice is to spherical out a French menu with this spectacular dessert. Listed here are some French menu concepts:
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Steak or salmon with Béarnaise Sauce – a suitably upmarket most important dish!
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Hearty stews – Beef Bourguignon, Coq au Vin or down-home French nation cooking with a Chicken in White Wine Sauce;
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French Onion Soup – A superb starter choice although definitely suited as a most important as properly;
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Fish with Lemon Beurre Noisette – Fish with a brown butter and lemon sauce (outrageously good);
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Nicoise Salad – This Provencal tuna salad would make for an amazing lighter most important course for a balmy summer time’s day; and
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Aspect salad solutions – Attempt a basic French Bistro Salad, a (higher!😉) French Carrot Salad or a Southern French-inspired Tomato Salad with Olive Tapenade. Or make your individual with a French French dressing.
Head right here for much more French meals concepts! → French recipe assortment
Bon appétit! – Johnsat x
Ingredients
- 2 cups pure cream (Aus) / heavy cream (US) (Note 1)
- 1 vanilla pod OR 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (Note 2)
- 5 egg yolks (Note 3 for using leftover whites)
- 1/4 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 2 tsp caster sugar (superfine sugar)
Instructions
- Vanilla bean: Split vanilla pod down the middle and scrape the seeds out using a small knife. Place into saucepan with cream and the empty vanilla pod.
- Infuse cream: Simmer uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from stove and set aside to infuse for 1 hour with lid on (you can skip this step if using paste, just let it cool to lukewarm). Remove vanilla pod. Skim off any skin that has formed on the surface.
- Preparation: Preheat oven to 130°C/265°F (120°C fan). Place 4 x ⅔ cup / 150 ml empty ramekins in a baking pan with high enough sides that enough water can be poured in to come halfway up ramekins.
- Boil water: Boil a kettle of water.
- Whisk egg yolks and sugar: Whisk yolks and sugar until just well combined. Don't whisk too much, as this can create bubbles.
- Add cream: Pour cream into eggs and gently stir to combine. Divide mixture between ramekins with a soup ladle.
- Water bath: Pour in enough boiling water so it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. (If you have too much water, ramekins will float around – not good!)
- Bake: Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until the custard is set but there is still a slight wobble when you GENTLY give the ramekin a little shake.
- Chill: Remove ramekins from water. Leave to cool, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours and preferably overnight (up to 3 days is OK).
- Blow torch method: Sprinkle 1/2 tsp sugar over the surface of each crème brûlée. Use a blow torch to melt and caramelise the sugar. Serve immediately.
- Grill / broiler method: Crème brûlée should be first refrigerated overnight. Preheat grill to high. Place crème brûlée under grill for 1 minute or until sugar is melted and caramelised. Refrigerate afterwards for at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour (to reset custard immediately under toffee), then serve.
- Crème brûlée perfect texture: The texture should be like a very thick yogurt, rather than set so it is sliceable like cake or even like a soft set jelly. When you take a scoop, the custard should barely hold together, but shouldn't be melting or running. When you take a bite the custard should literally just melt in your mouth.
Notes
1. Cream:
Australia: This recipe calls for pure cream. Thickened cream also works, but pure cream will give a cleaner, more refined mouthfeel (in my opinion). Light cream does work too but it lacks the richness;
US: Use heavy cream.
2. Vanilla – It’s most authentic to use a vanilla pod but you could use vanilla bean paste. You really want those little black vanilla seeds visible for the true experience!!
3.Leftover egg whites – Here’s my list of what I do with them and all my egg white recipes can be found in this recipe collection.
4. Recipe source – Adapted in part from the Creme Brûlée recipe from Manu Fiedel’s French Kitchen cookbook.
5. Nutrition – Never mind the nutrition. This is worth it! 🙂
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