Classic Crème Brûlée
To make crème brûlée, warm cream with vanilla, whisk it slowly into egg yolks and sugar, then bake the custards in a water bath at low heat until just set with a slight wobble. Chill them thoroughly, sprinkle sugar on top, and caramelize it with a torch until it forms a hard, crackling crust. Tempering the hot cream slowly into the yolks stops them from scrambling, and the water bath keeps the custard silky. Bake until the centre still jiggles slightly; it firms up as it chills.
Crème brûlée is the dessert that makes people think you trained in a French kitchen, and it comes down to two techniques: baking a delicate custard gently enough that it stays silky, and caramelizing sugar on top into that unmistakable glass-hard crust you crack with a spoon. Four ingredients, a little care, and a torch — that’s the whole trick.
Temper the eggs
The custard is just cream, yolks, and sugar, but the eggs will scramble if you shock them with heat. The move is tempering: whisk the hot cream into the yolks in a slow stream, constantly, so they warm up gradually. Strain the mixture afterward to catch any stray cooked bits and keep it perfectly smooth.
The gentle bake
Custard needs low, even heat, which is why it bakes in a water bath — the surrounding hot water keeps the edges from curdling before the centre sets. Bake until the edges are firm but the centre still wobbles slightly; it looks underdone and it’s meant to, because it keeps setting as it chills.
Chill, then torch
Chill the custards at least a few hours, ideally overnight. Right before serving, sprinkle an even layer of sugar and caramelize it with a torch (or a very hot broiler, watched like a hawk) until it’s hard and amber. That contrast — cold silky custard, warm crackling top — is the entire point.
Make it yours
- Flavours: infuse the cream with espresso, citrus zest, or a bay leaf.
- No torch: use the broiler, close to the element, and watch constantly.
- Serve: on its own or with a few fresh berries.
Bring them to the table and let everyone crack through the top themselves — that first tap through the glassy caramel into cool vanilla custard is the reason this dessert never goes out of style.
At a glance
Classic Crème Brûlée
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Heat the oven to 150°C. Warm the cream with the vanilla bean and its seeds until steaming, then remove from the heat and let it infuse a few minutes.
- Whisk the yolks, sugar, and salt until pale.
- Whisking constantly, pour the hot cream into the yolks in a slow stream to temper them, then strain the mixture.
- Divide among ramekins set in a deep pan. Pour hot water into the pan halfway up the ramekins.
- Bake until the edges are set but the centres still wobble slightly, about 35–40 minutes. Cool, then chill at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Just before serving, sprinkle an even layer of sugar over each and caramelize with a torch (or under a hot broiler) until hard and amber.
Frequently asked questions
Why bake it in a water bath?
A water bath (bain-marie) — setting the ramekins in a pan of hot water — surrounds the custards with gentle, even heat and stops the edges from overcooking and curdling before the centres set. Custard is delicate; direct oven heat would give you scrambled, grainy edges. Pour hot water into the pan until it reaches about halfway up the ramekins, and cover loosely with foil if the tops colour too fast.
How do I know when the custard is set?
Bake it until the edges are set but the centre still has a slight wobble when you gently shake the pan — like soft jelly, not liquid. It will look slightly underdone, and that's right: the custard continues to firm up as it cools and chills. Overbaking gives you a firm, eggy, cracked custard. Chill the baked custards at least a few hours (ideally overnight) before caramelizing the tops.
Can I caramelize the top without a torch?
A kitchen torch gives the best, most even crust and is worth it if you make this often, but you can use your oven's broiler: sprinkle the sugar, set the well-chilled ramekins close under a hot broiler, and watch constantly until the sugar melts and browns — it takes only a minute or two and burns fast. Chill the custards again briefly afterward so the tops stay crisp over cold custard.