Crème Brûlée is a classic French dessert that has been around for centuries. It is a creamy custard-like dish topped with a caramelized sugar coating. This delicious treat can be enjoyed as part of a special occasion or as a sweet one.
Brief History and Origin
The original Crème Brûlée dates back to the 17th century in France. It was created by Francois Massialot, a chef who wrote one of the earliest cookbooks, Le Cuisinier Royal et Bourgeois. In his book, he wrote about an egg custard dish called “Crème Brûlée”, which was served with burnt sugar on top. This dessert version was much different than what we know today as it didn’t include cream or milk in its ingredients list.
In 1691, another French chef named Vincent la Chapelle included a recipe for Crème Brûlée in his book Le Cuisinier Moderne. La Chapelle’s version was much more similar to what we know today, including cream and milk. This version of the dish was served with a crunchy sugar coating.
In the 19th century, Crème Brûlée became popular in England and the United States. The American version of the dessert is slightly different from the French one as it uses a thicker custard base and is topped with a hard caramelized sugar coating.
Crème Brûlée – The Recipe
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 40 mins
- Total time: 55 mins
- Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 426ml double cream
- 100ml whole milk
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 6 egg yolks
- 50g white caster sugar
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
Instructions
- Prepare oven and preheat to 150 degrees C.
- Add 35g caster sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl, and mix until creamy and thick.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add cream and stir to cook until just comes to boiling. Remove from heat and add to the egg yolk mixture; whisk until everything combines.
- Transfer the mixture to the top pan of a double boiler and whisk over simmering water for 3 minutes or until it marginally coats the back of a spoon. When done, transfer to a shallow dish.
- Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Take out of the oven, leave to cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator overnight.
- Switch the oven to the broiler. Add the remaining caster sugar and brown sugar in a small bowl, and mix well.
- Take the custard out of the refrigerator and sprinkle it with the sugar mixture. Place the dish in the broiler and broil for 2 minutes or until the sugar melts and caramelize.
- When done, remove from broiler, leave to cool slightly, then transfer to the refrigerator for 10 minutes until set. Serve and enjoy!
Popular variations
Here are a few ways you can change this basic recipe to adjust it to your liking:
- Coffee Crème Brûlée: coffee in Crème Brûlée is the ultimate holiday dessert. It is warm, deep and delicious.
- Chocolate Crème Brûlée: Chocolate tastes good in everything, and this Crème Brûlée recipe is proof!
- Crème Brûlée Filled Strawberries: This is an intricate and sophisticate take on the traditional crème brulee. It is a sophisticated and visually appealing way to celebrate the dessert.
- Lemon Crème Brûlée: The simple and refreshing flavours of lemon makes Crème Brûlée more flavoursome.
- Crème Brûlée With Candied Peaches: Peached and Crème Brûlée is the perfect summer dessert for you and your family.
