French cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Crème Brûlée

Vanilla custard with a crackly caramelized sugar crust.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 500 ml cream
• 1 vanilla bean
• 5 egg yolks
• 80 g sugar
• Brown sugar

Instructions

1. Heat the cream with the scraped vanilla bean and the pod (don't boil) and let infuse for 10 min; remove the pod.
2. Stir the egg yolks and sugar smooth in a bowl – don't whip.
3. Work the hot cream into the yolks in a thin stream while stirring and strain the mixture through a sieve.
4. Fill into ramekins and let set in a water bath at 150 °C for about 40 min – the center should still wobble slightly.
5. Cool and chill for at least 2 hrs.
6. Just before serving, sprinkle with a thin layer of brown sugar and caramelize with a torch (or under the hot grill) until the crust is amber.