We like crème brûlée and find ordering any other dessert at a restaurant incredibly difficult. Cracking apart the warm caramel top with a spoon and revealing the silky smooth cream underneath with its unique vanilla flavor is too appealing. At least, it is an appealing picture in our minds. However, as you are surely aware from your own experiences, crème brûlée is not always ideal, even at premium restaurants: it is sometimes too sweet, and the enormous quantity of sugar undermines the complex taste structure of a refined crème brûlée. Or the consistency is not perfect: the cream should melt in your tongue like butter and not feel “greasy”.
With such lofty expectations, we have a lot of respect for the preparation. And, like so many traditional recipes with minimal ingredients, crème brûlée is all about skill. Ourguider.com has written out all you need to know here, and we promise that your visitors will only use your crème brûlée as a reference in the future!
To effectively produce crème brûlée, we must first realize that it is nearly entirely chemistry-based rather than cooking. That is also why, despite my long-standing fondness for this delicacy, I have always been afraid to attempt it myself. To make delicious crème brûlée – and we don’t just mean nice, but flawless – you must comprehend the core temperatures, fats, proteins, and egg yolk coagulation processes. But, before you panic and opt for our much simpler semolina pudding (which is still delicious), be assured that we will walk you through the most crucial guidelines so that nothing goes wrong.
Table of Contents
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Ingredients
- 500 mL cream
- 100 g egg yolk (equal to around six eggs)
- 50 grams of sugar
- 1 vanilla pod (here, get organic Madagascar vanilla)
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- Brown sugar for Flambéing
Instructions
- Following a lengthy series of self-experiments, here is the optimal recipe:
- Whisk together the cream, milk, and egg yolk, then stir in the remaining ingredients. Allow everything to sit for at least 30 minutes (or overnight).
- Pour into fireproof molds (4 larger molds for 4 greedy crème brulée fans or 6 smaller ones) and place on the middle shelf of a preheated oven at 150°C with the drip tray. Fill the drip tray to the brim with boiling water and let the cream sit for 55 minutes. The top will be slightly bubbling and brown, but that’s good.
- Allow the molds to cool (the mixture is still unstable right out of the oven, but this changes when cold) before chilling in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or overnight). I briefly freeze the cream before caramelizing it to keep it lovely and cool.
- Now, apply the crunchy caramel layer. I spread about 1 tablespoon of fine white sugar on each mold (brown sugar can also be used, but it burns faster) and flamed it slowly and evenly using a flambé burner until a smooth layer appeared. It is also said to function under an oven grill, though I have no experience with it.
When and how do eggs bind?
Eggs are made up of two components: egg white and egg yolk, which differ substantially in chemical composition and hence in qualities. The majority of egg white is water (about 90%), followed by two particular proteins, conalbumin and ovalbumin. Egg white is normally unsuitable for binding other liquids, however, it can be mechanically changed to form a structure capable of holding a large amount of air. To put it another way, beating with a whisk produces egg whites that are firm enough to permanently bind air, even in creams or dough. When heated, egg white gradually solidifies between 62°C (where conalbumin slowly coagulates) and 85°C (when ovalbumin coagulates), until it eventually exhibits – usually unwanted – rubbery qualities.
The situation is different with egg yolk. The egg yolk is high in fat and, unlike the egg white, can bind liquids and fats very efficiently when cooked (approximately five times its weight). If you look at pure egg yolk, the proteins begin to reorganize their structure around 62°C while also fixing existing fat and water molecules: the egg yolk curdles. At temperatures exceeding 76°C, egg yolk proteins degrade, causing the bulk to dry and clump. These temperature levels, however, rise considerably when liquids with a high water content, such as milk (+8°C), or liquids with a high-fat content, such as cream (+14°C), are introduced to the egg yolk. I made the following table for you because I couldn’t find anything similar on the Internet, and you just need this picture to comprehend the steps in this process.
Crème Brûlée in the sous vide cooker.
If you have a sous-vide cooker, the entire process is significantly easier: there is no chance of overcooking, and all you have to do is set the target core temperature (80-82°C) and wait until it is reached (approximately an hour).
One problem is that most sous-vide cookers do not have enough “space” to accommodate numerous wide molds. That’s why I normally use deep Weck jars like these * in my sous-vide cooker, which can hold 6 to 8 at once. Because of the sous-vide device’s exact cooking concept, cooking time is unaffected by shape.
Other Tips and Tricks
You now understand the most critical points and are almost ready to begin. Before you do that, here are a few extra recommendations to ensure your crème brûlée is right!
Is vanilla added to crème brûlée?
The solution is simple: classic crème brûlée requires a fine vanilla scent. You should not skimp on this and always use a fresh Madagascar pod. You can get the pods online for the cheapest price but always search for a reliable provider, such as InterVanilla, who sells organic vanilla*.
Why do you add hot cream to crème brûlée?
Before adding the cream to the beaten egg yolks, it should be gently cooked. This technique serves two purposes: first, the heat stabilizes the eggs slightly, allowing for a lovely, homogeneous combination. Second, we heat our mixture to between 50 to 60°C before cooking, which makes cooking easier and eliminates the ugly temperature gradient between the edge and the core.
However, you must be very careful while adding the cream to the egg yolk while stirring constantly, or the heat will cause the egg to curdle. Stirring causes cooler air to enter.
How can I obtain caramel on my crème brûlée?
The firm caramel top on the crème brûlée is the icing on the cake of the dish and should not be overlooked. Who hasn’t had the pleasure of piercing the caramel with the first spoon to reveal the cream underneath? The layer can be readily created using a simple flambé burner. You evenly distribute brown sugar over the surface of the cooled cream and flambé it with the burner until the sugar becomes liquid and golden brown.
A little extra: salt in the caramel.
My little secret method for taking crème brûlée from excellent to perfect is to hide a little salt beneath the sugar. As you know, salt balances out the caramel flavors and provides a delightful richness to the flavor. We think it’s the ideal final touch.
Crème brûlée – Tips and Tricks
In a saucepan, bring the milk and vanilla pod to a boil; then, remove from the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, covered. Pour in the cream and cook everything again until it boils. Preheat your oven to 120 degrees. Now, mix the egg yolks and sugar until creamy, then stir in the vanilla cream. Then, pour the cream into six molds and bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until a skin forms. The skin should not become dark.
Allow the cream to cool before chilling in the refrigerator for at least another two hours. To caramelize, sprinkle brown sugar over the vanilla cream and place as close to the grill as feasible. When the sugar has melted into a lovely, brown caramel crust, remove the molds from the oven and serve immediately. The crème brûlée is ready!
Note that crème brûlée is also wonderful when served cold. To keep the caramel crust from going soft, consume the crème brûlée within two to three hours.
The appropriate molds are essential for creating a delicious crème brûlée. They must be flat, tiny, and fireproof so that the cream can settle evenly. A diameter of 10–12 cm and a maximum height of 4 cm are ideal. However, the components might differ, such as using more cream instead of milk. It is also feasible to make crème brûlée with crème fraîche or crème double. However, the liquid-to-egg ratio should be maintained. Preparation in a water bath is usual; in this case, cream-filled molds are baked in an oven drip pan filled with water.
Variations: crème brûlée.
Crème brûlée is frequently seasoned with fruit, such as raspberries: either place them in a bowl and pour the cream over them or puree them into the crème brûlée. Savory variants are equally tasty, such as crème brûlée made with parmesan cheese, white wine, and shallots.
Crème brûlée without a burner: this trick works.
Eating crème brûlée? Oh, yes! But make it yourself? Um, no thanks! The anxiety of not only spoiling the dessert with the flambé burner but also of setting fire to the entire flat, is overwhelming. But there’s another way! Instead of utilizing a gas burner to flambé (which most of us don’t have at home), we utilize a common kitchen tool: a tablespoon.
The trick is to serve crème brûlée with a hot spoon.
Simply sprinkle the cream evenly with granulated sugar or, alternately, brown cane sugar, heat a spoonful on the burner, and caramelize the sugar with the bottom of the spoon. This will result in a caramel crust, after all! The foodies from Food Envy show us how it is done:
Crème brûlée without a burner: There is another way
If you don’t want to use a stove, you can simply grill the sugar-sprinkled cream. However, the dessert will undoubtedly warm up again in the oven. However, the excellent dessert is served cold. That is why the hot spoon approach is the most effective way to make crème brûlée without a stove.
This is how your crème brûlée will set!
There could be several reasons why the cream doesn’t set. To make it set, you should follow these guidelines:
- This recipe works best with 3.5% fat milk.
- It is preferable to use larger eggs than smaller ones since the egg yolks provide the binding.
- Preheat the oven; otherwise, the crème brûlée will take longer to set.
- Make careful to fill the water bath with hot water, since cold water will cause the setting to take longer.