Creme Brulee

With blueberries on top!

Last Christmas, I received a creme brulee set as a gift and I was ecstatic! It has been on my wish list for the longest time and I was glad to have finally gotten it. So naturally, after the festivities were over, I immediately put the blow torch to use by making this creme brulee.

What you need:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
enough sugar to coat the top of brulee


What to do:

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Scald the whipping cream by putting it in a sauce pan over medium heat. Let it simmer to a soft boil, then remove from heat (temperature should be about 180°F).

Mise en place

Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and slowly add the sugar while whisking. Pour about a third of the scalded cream to the egg yolks and continue whisking. Then add in the rest of the cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir well.

Strain the mixture to remove any egg particles. Then ladle the mixture into individual ramekins. Remove the bubbles by torching it (my favorite part!) or fishing it out with a spoon. Place in a water bath* and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. To check if it is cooked, give the ramekins a slight shake - the custard should wiggle a bit but hold its shape. Keep in the fridge for at least an hour.

Just before serving, sprinkle some sugar on top of the custard (as much as you want), and gently torch the top in a circular motion (the flame should be approximately 2 to 3 inches away from the sugar). Stop every once in a while to let the sugar crystallize, then torch again to have more browning.


*To make a water bath, place some towels enough to cover the bottom of a roasting pan, then place the ramekins on top of the towels. Pour in boiling water enough to reach half the surface of the ramekins.

DON'T use red towels for your water bath!

Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. Don't over-whisk the mixture, and as much as possible, remove all bubbles!
2. Make sure the scalded cream is not too hot when you add it to the egg - otherwise, it would cook the egg on contact.
3.  Some water bath techniques do not use towels on the bottom - I recommend using it because the towels offer added protection to avoid over cooking the custard.
4. Don't be scared to torch your creme brulee - the burnt sugar would actually add a hint of bitterness to the sweet custard.
5. If using real vanilla, use just one vanilla bean and add it to the whipping cream while scalding it.