TWD - Crème brûlée
Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at 08:26
It was incredibly difficult to decide on a recipe for this week's installment of Tuesdays with Dorie, but it gave me a good excuse to have a proper thumb-through Baking: From My Home to Yours. When I joined up last February, I just kinda ordered the book and started baking, without ever giving it a thorough cover-to-cover perusal. Baking certainly has no shortage of mouthwatering recipes, but when I came across the recipe for Crème Brûlée, I knew I couldn't choose any other.
The first time that I ate crème brûlée, at the ripe young age of 22, I had a food orgasm. Never in my life had anything so heavenly passed over my lips and I couldn't believe that I'd never known of its existence until that moment. Somewhere between the layer of crispy burnt sugar and vanilla seed flecked custard that I became an undying fan of crème brûlée. Unfortunately, it is highly inappropriate to have a food orgasm when you're sharing a swanky table at a high-end Lincoln Park restaurant with the couple who is interviewing you to be a nanny to their two small children, who are also present. Nevertheless, that dinner changed my life and although I didn't get the position with them (Go figure, would you hire someone who moaned over their dessert?), thus begun my love affair with fine dining.
When I read through this recipe initially, I was quite surprised that no water bath was required, which is the only method I've ever used to bake the custard for crème brûlée. I have to admit that I was skeptical about any crème brûlée recipe that not only nixed the water bath, but called for baking the custard at a very low heat for so little time; and as it turned out my custards baked for somewhere around an hour and forty minutes before the they set.
Crème Brûlée
Source: Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
The most efficient way to caramelize the sugar topping is to use a blowtorch (see page 475 of Baking: From My Home to Yours). If you don’t have a torch, you can chill the custards very, very well, then set them in an ice-cube-filled roasting pan and run them under the broiler. You won’t get as even a coating with the broiler as you would with the torch, but you’ll still get the flavor and the pleasure of a crackly sugar crust over cream custard.
Note: The best baking dishes for crème brûlée are shallow, ideally just an inch (2,5 cm) high, about 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter and holding about ¾ cup of liquid. Porcelain, pottery or glass gratin or baking dishes are perfect, but if you don’t have them, you can use ramekins or even disposable aluminum foil pans, an unglamorous but effective solution.
1 ¼ cups (296ml) heavy cream
½ cup (119ml) whole milk
3 large egg yolks
1 / 3 cup (67g) sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
About 6 tablespoons (75g) sugar or sifted light brown sugar, for topping
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 200ºF/ 93ºC. Put the six baking dishes (see Note above) on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
Bring the cream and milk just to a boil.
In a 1 or 2-quart (approx. 1-2 liters) glass measuring cup or in a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla together until well blended but not airy. Still whisking, drizzle in about one quarter of the hot liquid---this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won’t curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the cream and milk. Give the bowl a good rap against the counter to de-bubble the custard, then strain it into the baking dishes.
Bake the custards for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the centers are set---tap the sides of the dishes, and the custards should hold firm. Lift the dishes onto a cooling rack and let the custards cool until they reach room temperature.
Cover each custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably longer. (The custards can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.) For the sugar to be successfully caramelized, the custards need to be thoroughly chilled.
Makes 6 servings.
Serving:
Serve the crème brûlée when the crème is really cold and the brûlée is still warm. You can serve the whole dessert chilled, but the sugar topping won’t have its characteristic crackle. And while I think crème brûlée should be served with nothing more then a spoon, you could offer berries and cookies as accompaniments.
Storing:
The custard for crème brûlée must be made ahead so it has plenty of time to chill, but once you’ve caramelized the sugar on top, your storage time is over if your want the sugar to have crunch.The Final Results...
I added the seeds from half a vanilla pod, and the pod itself, to the milk and cream mixture and strained the pod off when adding the milk and cream to the egg yolk and sugar. I like vanilla heavy custards and love the flecks of vanilla seeds in a crème brûlée, so I couldn't resist. I thought about pouring the custard over fresh raspberries, but keep it basic. I used four terracotta crema catalana dishes measuring 4-inches in diameter and one inch in height and had just the right amount of custard for all four dishes. I tried both raw sugar and superfine white sugar for my caramel, and found that the superfine white sugar worked best; a tablespoon was too much, but two teaspoons was just right.
It's been such a pleasure baking my way through this cookbook with such a wonderful and supportive group of people these last eight months and I'm determined to hang around until the last recipe has been baked! I'd like to dedicate this post to Laurie, our fearless leader, who works tirelessly to keep Tuesdays with Dorie the place to be!
Previously by Mevrouw Cupcake for TWD:
Chocolate Malteser MaltedDrops
Reader Comments (66)
looks wonderful, and i love your creme catalan dishes! thanks for a great pick!
hiya mum,
when are you making crema catalana, then? and... how did the boy rate this new version of crème brulée? (dunno where my circumflex accent is on this keyboard, sorry!)
btw, those are some huge peaches you have there, missus!!! (or are they nectarines? ha ha!)
son
xx
Glad I had the new kitchen up and running in time to make your recipe! Thanks for picking one of my favorites :-)
I have to agree with you, this was more a pudding version of creme brulee, but still good. I stuck to recipe and missed the vanilla flecks, oh well I can always make my own recipe this weekend for comparison.
Het was lekker! Bedankt!
thanks for the details about the sugar - your photos are breathtaking (especially the top one!), and make me wish i had a torch. after seeing everyone's posts, i think i'm going to buy one.
Thanks so much for this one! I had wanted to try crème brûlée forever. I was not disappointed! Your pics are gorgeous as usual, making me wish I still had a custard left in the fridge! :)
Thank you so much Mari for choosing a winner!!
And your brulee looks lovely!!!
Thanks for choosing this recipe. It tastes great, even though my version was not that successful. :-)
Thank you so much for picking out this recipe! I loved it! I also LOVE your creme brulee and the little red terracotta dishes. Very cute! I have been wanting to make this dessert for a LONG time and even have the torch. I must have made a few mistakes along the way because my custard had brown spots on top when I took them out of the oven. Not sure why. I also used my vanilla bean flavored fine sugar and agree that super fine sugar was better then regular granulated sugar.
Fantastic post! I loved this challenge as it is one of our favorites as well. Easy recipe, as well.
I love the new look of your site .... I was poking around your site last night & it looked a lot different!!!! :)
I know I already sent you a gchat about it but I'll leave you a comment and reiterate that this is the best Dorie recipe to date. I LOVE LOVE LOVE creme brulee. Total tongue-gasm! Awesome choice my fellow baker friend. Your pictures are fabulous and it looks like we both agree on the vanilla bean addiction! YUM!
Clara @ iheartfood4thought
^ BAHAHAHAHA.
I just noticed that i said "addiction" instead of "addition". Ooops. Freudian slip. LOL
Thanks for choosing such a great recipe...we loved this!!! :)
Thanks for the great choice! Your creme brulee looks perfect and it was fun to try something new. I'm with you- TWD is the best!
Thanks for the great pick (and my husband thanks you, too!). I love the story about your first experience with it! :)
Love the new header! And your crackly topping looks great.
This is actually my new favourite creme brulee recipe, although I know what you mean about the consistency being rather custard-like.
Thanks for the wonderful pick.
Love the pictures of the making of the brulee topping - fantastic idea! Thanks for a great recipe choice this week :)
What a fun post and what a great recipe! I did not join in on the fun this week so as to avoid "Creme Broilee" but hope to try making my own sometime as this is truly one of my favorite desserts!
What a wonderful story about why you picked this! The minute I get a torch, I'm making it - sorry for rewinding on you. Beautifully bruleed dessert though.
I was thrilled that you chose this one. Many thanks and yours look wonderful.
Your blog is beautiful. How did you learn to take such pretty pictures?
Thanks for choosing this recipe! I was like you the first time I tried Creme Brulee!! :) I have wanted to make it but have always been intimidated. It was easy! :) Yours looks delicious too!
Great choice! I am a huge fan of creme brulee but had never made it from scratch before. Unfortunately, mine was not a successful attempt...probably user error more than anything else. Yours looks fabulous though...I am sure it was delicious. Great job!
Thanks for picking this recipe, you have two more admirers, my sons were so glad about the crème brûlée. I like the terracotta dishes.
Thanks for a great choice this week!! It was so much fun to make, very easy, and really delicious! I'm glad you commented on the consistency, I thought I had just made it wrong. Still tasted fabulous though!
Thank you so much for picking such a wonderful recipe.
I have never had this before, so this was fun for me.
So gorgeous! Thank you for an amazing choice this week! And I love your new page design!!!
It looks like it turned out great, and I'm sure it made your hip feel better! ;)
Your Creme Brulee looks beautiful! I was too chicken to try it without a torch but you've definately inspired me to try this recipe when I get one.
This was a terrific choice! I had creme brulee during my recent vacation, so clearly, it is one of my favorites, along with panna cotta. What I like about this recipe is the ability to customize the flavor, which I guess one could do anyway. ;)
Food orgasm- what a great description! You creme brulee looks wonderful- I love the color of the caramelized sugar! I was happy to give Dorie's version a try. The flavor was great and my husband loved that I was making his favorite dessert!
Thank you, thank you for choosing such a great recipe!!! I absoultely fell in love with this and will use it for many years to come!
Thanks for choosing this recipe. It was so much fun to make and most importantly, it tastes good. I love your blog and pics. Keep up the good work, my friend. We are all here to support you. :)
I agree with your take on the creme brulee -- more pudding and less pannacotta-like. It was still delicious, though! Thanks for the tasty pick!
Thanks for a great pick!
Your pictures are beautiful, and your header is so pretty!
I agree that this wasn't the best recipe, but unless we try it, we will never know, right?
Wonderful choice! I loved it.
I love your dishes too - so beautiful.
ps, I see you are a Margaret Atwood fan - I have met her a few times here in Toronto.
Great pick! Your photos are lovely as well.
My husband would like to thank you for "forcing" me to make one of his favorites. He told me to make it every week from now one. :)
Thank you so much for picking this recipe. If you hadn't, I never would have known that I could make creme brulee, and that it would actually be pretty easy, and that it would be beyond delicious. And I never would have owned my own blowtorch. :-) THANK YOU!! Your creme brulee looks wonderful!
Thank you for picking the creme brulee; it's what I would have picked but I don't choose for almost 3 years, LOL! I agree with the consistency but the flavore was great.
Ha! Food orgasm - that's what it was when I had this last night! Thank you so much for choosing this - I am one of those poor souls who had never had C.B. before. OMG I have been missing out. Loved it!
You did an amazing job on your post - your C.B. looks fabulous!
Great step by step pictures and the brulee looks divine! Even though I didn't make it this week I'm going to make it for a special occasion. soon Great choice!
Your creme brulee looks perfect! I had the same observations as you did, but I loved them anyway.
Thank you for choosing such a fun and delicious recipe!
I'm glad that you chose this recipe (even though I had troubles!). I would have skipped over it on my own. Your pics look so good! Great job!
I used a vanilla bean as well, and all the seeds settled to the bottom of my ramekins because the custards took so long to set at such a low oven temp. Your crème brulee looks so good in the terra cotta dishes.
Looks creamy and fabulous.
thanks for choosing one of my all time favorite desserts! it did not disappoint. also, your new site looks great. :)
i was worried there was no water bath either but of course Dorie knows what she is doing!! i am glad to not have to mess with a water bath in the future. thanks for a great pick, i loved it!! oh and i will try super fine sugar next time for the top :) thanks for the tip
Thanks for the choice - it's nice to tackle a true classic, and come out the other side! I liked the consistency, but so many recipes use far more egg yolks, it seems. I wonder if that makes the difference? Your brulee is perfect. Great challenge this week.
Really beautiful, Mevrou! I love that crackly glaze and the lovely cream. I am really sorry I couldn't bake your pick - just a bit afraid of the pyro. part of the recipe.
i just wanted to thank you for choosing one of my favorite special occasion desserts...i had a lovely trip down memory lane AND a chance to improvise. your photo is stunning!
Mari, your creme brulee looks amazing! And I love the header! :)