Easy Creme Brûlée
I had some eggs and cream that I needed to use up so it was the perfect excuse to “indulge”. Ok I won’t exactly say indulged. It is one of my favourites but I must be honest I only had two bites of it. I”m really being good. My hubby on the other hand was hoping nobody would want theirs so he could have them. He did have my leftovers. The kids weren’t so generous…haha! The fussy eaters also loved it. I promise this is one of the easiest desserts you will make. When we watch all the fancy chefs making them it seems intimidating but with a few simple steps you can look like a gourmet chef too.
Ingredients Required
To make Creme Brûlée the two main ingredients you need is fresh cream and eggs. Creme refers to the cream and Brûlée means burnt. So it’s basically burnt cream. You can flavour this dessert with different flavourings if you wish. I love the classic version with vanilla. There are times when I use vanilla pod, however, I don’t always have it at hand. So vanilla paste or vanilla essence is perfectly fine.
To me using certain ingredients is not only about flavour, it’s also about how fussy and how fancy you want to be. I won’t lie I am fussy about the quality of ingredients. But I can also be flexible. My cooking is also simple so I make whatever ingredient work when I have to. For this one I did use vanilla paste because I have a professional chef son and he likes being all fancy. And no he didn’t help me with this, I’ve been making it for years all on my own. l did use a whole teaspoon of the vanilla paste. If it’s too much you can reduce the quantity.
Making the Creme Brûlée
When I first made this dessert it was a mess. I used an electric beater because I found a recipe that said I should use one. That does not work for me. It creates far too many air bubbles, which you don’t want in your custard. Whatever tips I share with you is what works for me. However, you use whatever method works for you. I get that baking is a science and all that. But often I don’t have the time or patience for science. For me it’s all about creating simple, edible food without the fuss and that scientific jargon. It’s why you may find I don’t have pages and pages of tips and tricks because often I don’t have any. If you are looking for those scientifically perfect treats then I am afraid my blog isn’t for you. However, in saying that there are some tips, without it being too complicated, that’s a must for certain things to turn out great. For this recipe I prefer using a whisk and mixing with a very light, gentle hand. This way I get minimal air bubbles.
You heat the cream on the stovetop, turn if off just before it reaches boiling point. Add the vanilla paste or whatever you’re using into the cream, give it a mix and set aside. Add the egg yolks to a bowl and mix in the sugar. I used castor sugar for this recipe. Slowly add in a little bit of the cream. This method is called tempering. You add the small amount at first and beat vigorously. Then you slowly add the remaining cream. The reason you don’t add all the cream at once as this may scramble the eggs and the mixture will curdle. You don’t want that. The mixture is then strained, for that silky, smooth texture. After all creme brûlée is about the texture. Baking the Creme Brûlée Creme Brûlée is then baked at 160 degrees Celsius. A water bath is required when baking them. The water bath creates a moist environment for this dessert, which allows it to cook more evenly and gently. Once baked for 30 minutes it is cooled down and refrigerated for at least 2 hours. Sugar is sprinkled on top and browned with a blow torch, this is where you get that crisp topping. There’s something so satisfying about cracking the top with a teaspoon, and seeing that luscious custard revealed underneath. If you don’t have a blow torch you can place it under the broil or grill function in your oven, using the highest setting and you need to watch it closely as it needs to be in the oven for a very short while. You don’t want your custard turning out warm. If you look at my image below my custard is very smooth but we used the blow torch far too long so it got a little warm and runny. The blow torch I have doesn’t work very well so my hubby tried to help me. It took forever for the sugar to brown because the flame seemed like it was struggling. I think it’s time to get a new blow torch.
I hope you love this dessert as much as we do. Feel free to drop a comment and a star rating, its always appreciated. More Recipes to try: Mini Lemon Cheesecake Delicious Baked White Chocolate Cheesecake Peppermint Crisp Tart If you loved this, please share!
