Vanilla Custard with Caramel Crust — Crème Brûlée
French bistro classic, silky vanilla custard topped with a glassy torched caramel crust that cracks under the spoon.
French
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
Prep
Split vanilla pod lengthwise, scrape seeds. Measure 360ml double cream, 40ml whole milk, 6 egg yolks, 40g caster sugar, pinch salt, and 4 tsp demerara sugar. Have two 200ml ramekins, fine sieve, deep baking dish, and kitchen blowtorch ready.
Bake 1
Preheat oven to 150°C. Combine cream, milk, vanilla pod, and seeds in a saucepan. Heat gently 5–6 minutes until just steaming—do not boil. Remove from heat, cover, steep 10 minutes until fragrant.
Build
Whisk egg yolks, caster sugar, and salt 30 seconds until combined but not foamy. Remove vanilla pod. Slowly pour warm cream into yolks, whisking gently and constantly to prevent scrambling. Strain through fine sieve into two ramekins, dividing evenly. Skim surface bubbles with a spoon.
Bake 2
Place both ramekins in deep baking dish, pour boiling water halfway up the sides. Bake 35–40 minutes at 150°C until edges set but centres wobble noticeably. Remove from water bath, cool 20 minutes at room temperature, then refrigerate at least 2 hours until firm.
Finish
Blot any condensation from each custard surface with kitchen paper. Sprinkle 2 tsp demerara sugar in an even layer across the top of each ramekin. Torch each in slow sweeping motions until sugar melts, bubbles, and turns deep amber. Rest 1 minute for crust to harden.
Plate
Transfer ramekins to serving plates and serve immediately while the caramel crust is crisp and crackling.
Recipes use AI and Edamam. Always check for allergens before cooking. Spotted something wrong—email us at hello@grubplanit.com.