5 from 4 votes
French Crème Brûlée
This classic French crème brûlée is a classic dessert made with a cream, egg yolks, and vanilla custard and topped with burnt sugar. Make it ahead of time and serve for your next special occasion!
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
50 mins
Chilling Time
3 hrs
Total Time
4 hrs
Servings:
4
people
Calories:
435 kcal
Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
French
Ingredients
Custard:
- 1 quart water for water bath; amount approximate
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
- ½ cup milk whole
- 3 egg yolk
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 lemon zest or orange zest only
Topping:
- 4 tablespoons sugar or more, use about 1 tablespoon per ramekin
- berries or sliced stone fruit, fresh, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300ºF. Begin boiling water in a tea kettle (or in a small pot).Use a microplane grater to zest the lemon or orange. Take care to only remove the zest, and not the white pith.Add cream and milk to a pot and heat over medium heat. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, vanilla extract, and citrus zest. Whisk until combined but not airy.
- Slowly begin whisking the warm milk into the egg mixture. As you pour, continue whisking constantly. (This will help keep the eggs from cooking.)
- Place 4-6 ramekins into a large baking dish. Divide the batter between the ramekins. Skim off any large bubbles.Carefully pour the hot water into the casserole dish, taking care not to splash water into the ramekins. Add water until the water-level reaches halfway up the ramekins.
- Bake about 50-60 minutes, until the centers are set. If your ramekins are very shallow, begin checking on the custards after 35-40 minutes.Remove the custards from the baking dish and set aside to cool. Once they've reached room temperature, move the ramekins to the fridge.Chill for at least 3 hours or up to 2 days. (The sugar won't caramelize as well if the custard isn't cold.)
- Just before serving, sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly across the top of each custard.Torch method:Use a kitchen torch to burn the sugar by moving the torch slowly across each custard dish. The sugar will darken and bubble up. Allow the bubbles to subside and the sugar to harden before serving. The sugar will harden within just a minute or two.Broiler method:Optionally, set the custards in a shallow pan filled with ice. (This will keep the custard cold while broiling.)Move an oven rack to about 4" below the broiler, and preheat the broiler to high. Move the custards under the broiler, and watch carefully until the sugar browns and bubbles. The timing will depend on your oven. Gas broilers may work in seconds; electric broilers may take several minutes. Remove from the broiler immediately.
- Optionally, top with fresh berries or sliced stone fruit. Serve the crème brûlée immediately.
Cup of Yum
Notes
- To prepare ahead of time: Bake custards in the water bath + chill for up to two days. Wait until just before serving to caramelize the sugar.
- Leftover crème brûlée: Store leftover custards in the fridge for up to a day. The sugar will not stay crunchy.
- crème brûlée: Store leftover custards in the fridge for up to a day. The sugar will not stay crunchy.
Nutrition Information
Calories
435kcal
(22%)
Carbohydrates
33g
(11%)
Protein
5g
(10%)
Fat
32g
(49%)
Saturated Fat
19g
(95%)
Cholesterol
251mg
(84%)
Sodium
48mg
(2%)
Potassium
111mg
(2%)
Sugar
31g
(62%)
Vitamin A
1337IU
(27%)
Vitamin C
1mg
(1%)
Calcium
100mg
(10%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4 people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 435
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 435kcal | 22% |
| Carbohydrates | 33g | 11% |
| Protein | 5g | 10% |
| Fat | 32g | 49% |
| Saturated Fat | 19g | 95% |
| Cholesterol | 251mg | 84% |
| Sodium | 48mg | 2% |
| Potassium | 111mg | 2% |
| Sugar | 31g | 62% |
| Vitamin A | 1337IU | 27% |
| Vitamin C | 1mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 100mg | 10% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.