Crème De La Crème Brûlée Recipe
vanilla bean custard, seasonal berries
Was this page helpful?
Help improve this recipe for others.
Send this recipe to your inbox.
We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.
Ingredients
Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Custard
Finishing & Serve
Method
Custard
- 1
- 2
Infuse cream
Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds with the back of a knife. Combine heavy cream, whole milk, vanilla seeds and the pod in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium until just below a simmer (small bubbles around the edge) — do not boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep 15 minutes to infuse flavor.
- 3
Whisk yolks and sugar
While the cream steeps, whisk the egg yolks, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and kosher salt in a bowl until the mixture is pale and slightly thickened (about 1–2 minutes).
- 4
Temper eggs
Remove the vanilla pod from the cream. Slowly stream about 1/2 cup of the warm cream into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Continue adding the rest of the cream in a steady stream, whisking until fully incorporated.
- 5
Strain and fill ramekins
Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl to remove any cooked bits and the pod remnants. Divide the custard evenly among the six ramekins (about 3/4 cup each).
- 6
- 7
Cool and chill
Remove ramekins from the water bath and let cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours, preferably overnight, to fully set and develop flavor.
Finishing & Serve
- 8
- 9
Caramelize sugar topping
Remove chilled custards from the refrigerator and blot any condensation with a paper towel. Evenly sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of the remaining granulated sugar across the surface of each custard (use approximately 3 tablespoons per ramekin if you prefer a thicker crust; total sugar provided is 1/2 cup). Using a kitchen blowtorch, melt and caramelize the sugar by moving the flame in a steady back-and-forth motion until the sugar melts, bubbles, and turns deep amber (about 30–60 seconds). If you don't have a torch, place ramekins on a baking sheet under a broiler set to high for 2–4 minutes, watching closely and rotating once until caramelized.
- 10
Rest the brûlée
Allow the caramelized sugar to cool and harden for 1–2 minutes to form a crisp crust before serving.
- 11
Plate and garnish
Top each crème brûlée with a small handful of seasonal berries (about 1/3 cup per ramekin). Garnish with a mint leaf if desired. Serve immediately so guests can crack the caramel crust and enjoy the creamy custard beneath.