This easy Creme Brulee recipe produces an awesome dessert. Hard to believe these simple ingredients can create something so creamy and rich.
I have also included a delightful Irish Creme Brulee recipe that will impress your family and friends. Heck, it will even impress you. More homemade dessert recipes at the end of the page.
Easy Creme Brulee Recipe from Scratch
Before diving into this easy creme brulee recipe, please read the instructions carefully.
CREME BRULEE RECIPE
6 egg yolks
6 TBS white sugar, divided
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups heavy cream
2 TBS brown sugar, packed
PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees.
Beat egg yolks, 4 tablespoons of white sugar and vanilla until thick and creamy.
Pour cream into a saucepan and stir over low heat until it almost comes to boil. Remove the cream from heat immediately.
After pouring a little of the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture and whisking briskly, pour the cream/yolk mixture into the rest of the cream and whisk. There will be a lot of foam on the top. Skim this off with a strainer and throw away.
Pour the hot mixture into individual serving dishes or ramekins and place in a baking dish. Set the dish with the ramekins in it on your oven shelf, then pour hot water in the dish so the water comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake at 375 anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. They are done when you shake the dish gently and the brulees jiggle just slightly in the middle.
Remove from oven and let the brulees cool in the water bath for about 15 minutes, then remove and put the brulees in the refrigerator to chill.
Just before serving, sprinkle the tops with white granulated sugar and shake off the excess. Place under broiler til caramelized or use a propane torch to burn the tops. Serve immediately. Following is another easy creme brulee recipe.
I have garnished creme brulee with candied nuts, and fresh cranberries make it festive.
Please read the instructions and tips before making this luscious and easy creme brulee recipe.
IRISH CREAM EASY CREME BRULEE RECIPE
2 cups heavy cream (use quality cream)
1/2 cup white sugar
6 egg yolks
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 TBS Irish Cream liqueur
white sugar
PREHEAT oven to 300 degrees. Place 6 ramekins on a towel set in a roasting pan at least 3 inches deep.
Stir together cream and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, and cook until very hot, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Whisk together egg yolks, vanilla, and Irish cream until combined.
NOTE: Slowly add 1/3 of the hot cream, whisking it in 2 tablespoons at a time until incorporated. Once you have incorporated 1/3 of the cream, you can stir in the remaining hot cream without fear of the mixture curdling. Whisk together egg yolks, vanilla, and Irish cream until combined.
After whisking, wait for the froth on top of the mixture to dissipate before pouring into the ramekins, otherwise you will have bubbly tops that are not so appealing.
Pour custard into the ramekins, then fill roasting pan with boiling hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until set; 50 to 60 minutes.
Once the custard has set, place ramekins on a wire rack, and allow to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Cover, and refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours. Custards may remain refrigerated until ready to serve.
Unwrap the custards, and sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of superfine sugar onto each. Gently shake the custards so the sugar coats the entire top surface, then tip the custards to a 45 degree angle and shake off excess sugar.
Using a small hand torch, melt the sugar by making short passes over top of the custards with the flame not quite touching. Continue melting the sugar until it turns deep brown. Once the sugar has melted and turned to caramel, the cold custard underneath will harden the sugar into a crispy crust. Serve immediately. Alternatively, the sugar-dusted custards may be browned underneath the broiler in the oven.
TIPS
Use a butane torch to broil the sugar and serve it with fresh whipped cream (that I added Irish Cream to)
Suggestions: Be very careful not to let the liquid get too hot. To test when it is ready, coat the back of a spoon and run a line with your finger down the center. If the line stays, your liquid is hot enough. If it curdles, blend it with a small amount of milk and pour it through a strainer. Also, cook the custard to between 165 & 175 degrees. Any higher and it will separate.
Recipes adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook – Baking from My Home to Yours. Pick up a copy, she’s wonderful…