Creme Brulee is what you would wish everything in life to be. Rich, sweet, but not too sweet, nutritious, decadent, impressive and really easy to make. Yep, This Vanilla Creme Brulee Recipe is extremely easy to make and usually can be made in around an hour. Most of that hour is cooking time.
Then, even better, you can freeze what you don’t need immediately. Saving them for just the right occasion.
Friends drop by.
“Hey, would you guys like a Creme Brulee and coffee?”
Watch their eyes light up. – jughandle
Vanilla Creme Brulee
I have never met anyone who did not love this desert, and I’ve been making them with this recipe for 20 years. These can be made way in advance and even frozen for future use as a late night snack.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
Things You Will Need:
- 8 6 ounce ramekins
- 1 deep hotel pan or deep sided baking dish
- sieve
- Pot or kettle to boil water
- kitchen torch
Ingredients:
- 1 vanilla bean
- 8 Egg yolks
- 3/4 Cup Sugar reserve 1/4 c of it to coat the tops
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 32 ounce heavy cream
- 16 ounce half & half
- 8 Cup Water More or less Boiling for the water bath.
Instructions
Prep-work:
- Halve the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the dull side of a knife.
- Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees.
Infuse the cream:
- Bring the cream, half-and-half and vanilla seeds and pod to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer to infuse the cream with the vanilla, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Discard the vanilla pod.
- Remove the cream mixture from the heat and cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, bring a kettle of water to a boil for the water bath.
To make the custard:
- Whisk the egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar and the salt in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is pale yellow and thick; it should leave a string when you lift the whisk.
- Pour the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly.
- Skim off any foam or bubbles from the surface or pour through a sieve.
Pour into ramekins:
- Arrange eight 6-ounce ramekins in a roasting or hotel pan and pour the cream/yolk mixture into each ramekin dividing the custard evenly among them. You might have a light left over.
- Bake in a water bath:
- Pull out the oven rack slightly, place the roasting pan on it and pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Be careful not to splash water into your cream mixture. I sit the ramekins on a kitchen towel and pour the water on it. The towel helps with splashing and prevents the ramekins from sliding.
- Bake until the custards are just set in the center, 40 to 45 minutes. They should wiggle like jello but not appear liquid.
- Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath and transfer to the refrigerator.
- Chill, uncovered, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
Prepare the topping:
- About 30 minutes before serving, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon sugar over each custard.
- Tilt the ramekins to evenly distribute the sugar and tap out any excess.
Caramelize the sugar:
- Holding a kitchen torch about three inches away, burn the sugar until it melts and turns a deep amber.
- Refrigerate the creme brulees just until the crust hardens, 30 minutes to 1 hour, but not longer (the topping may start to soften).
- Serve cold.
Notes
Always taste the custard before putting it in the ramekins, because what you taste there is what you are going to get in the end. Cooking only changes the texture.
Nutrition Facts
Vanilla Creme Brulee
Amount Per Serving
Calories 597
Calories from Fat 477
% Daily Value*
Fat 53g82%
Saturated Fat 32g200%
Cholesterol 372mg124%
Sodium 233mg10%
Potassium 178mg5%
Carbohydrates 25g8%
Sugar 19g21%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 2125IU43%
Vitamin C 1.2mg1%
Calcium 164mg16%
Iron 0.6mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.