Golden Crème Brûlée

I love making Crème Brûlée – it gives me an excuse to fire up my chef’s mini blowtorch, which is always good fun! That’s it in action in my photo above.

It helps that it is also a magnificent dessert – silky vanilla custard nestled beneath a solid layer of brittle caramel shell, that splinters into shards when cracked with the side of a spoon. The soft underside, together with the crunchy topping, is simply sensational.

No blowtorch? No problem – just place the desserts under a hot grill to caramelise, keeping an eye on them so they don’t burn! You will need 4 individual ramekin dishes and a high-sided roasting dish to act as a bain-marie. Got that? OK, here we go…

Servings

This will make 4 individual desserts.

Timings

20 mins to prepare. 35 mins to bake. 5 – 10 mins for that all-important blowtorching before serving.

You Will Need:

• some butter for greasing
• 400 ml double cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 80g caster sugar (plus 4 tsp extra for the caramel topping)
• the yolks of 4 large eggs

Method

1. Preheat a fan oven to 140C.
2. Prepare your bain-marie. That may sound posh, but really it is just a large roasting dish with deep sides, into which you will place 4 individual ramekin dishes. Grease the insides of each ramekin dish with butter.
3. Tip the double cream into a saucepan and add the vanilla. Gradually bring it to a boil, stirring gently, then turn it down to a simmer for about 5 mins.
4. Set out 2 bowls and crack the eggs carefully, catching the whites in one bowl and the yolks in the other. Set the whites aside to be used another time – we are working with just the yolks for making Crème Brûlée.
5. Sprinkle the sugar into the bowl with the yolks, and whisk together till gold and creamy.
6. Bring the double cream back to the boil stirring once again. When it just reaches the boil, pour it over the egg and sugar mixture, and whisk again to combine.
7. Place a sieve over a jug, and pour the mixture through. This will take out any lumps that may have formed while heating the cream.
8. Fill a kettle with water and boil.
9. Take the jug of strained mixture and pour it equally between the 4 ramekins. Then pour boiling water into the bain-marie (roasting dish), so that it comes about halfway up the outside of the ramekin dishes.
10. Cover the bain-marie with tin foil and place in the oven.
11. Check after about 30 – 35 mins. The desserts are cooked when the custard has set. Note that the surfaces will not yet be golden caramel – that stage is yet to come!
12. Using oven gloves, lift the ramekins from the bain-marie and set aside on a tray to cool. Carefully tip the hot water away.
13. Once the ramekins have reached room temperature, place in the fridge to chill until you are ready to serve.
14. Now the fun begins. Scatter a teaspoon full of caster sugar over the top of each ramekin. Fire up that blowtorch and heat so that they are caramelised and golden. Alternatively, place under a hot grill.
15. Place each back in the fridge for a few minutes. The caramelised topping will set to a crisp.

Customise It!

I made a coffee version of this at New Year, dissolving 4 teaspoons of instant coffee granules in the double cream as it warms. It’s a really good variation, giving a good coffee taste and colour (see below). You can check out the reel of it (Café Crème Brûlée) on my Instagram site if you wish @differentkitch.

We’re sticking with the dance theme for the ADK Playlist this January. It’s a brand new year and, hey, I just know that something good is going to happen. Cue Utah Saints with the Kate Bush-inspired Something Good.