Creme Brulee Tart with Lily O'Brien's (2024)

FAQs

How to make a creme brulee Gordon Ramsay? ›

Put the cream and milk in a heavy-based saucepan and heat slowly to scalding point, then stir in the espresso coffee and liqueur, if using. Beat the egg yolks in a large heatproof bowl until pale and creamy. Pour the hot steaming coffee cream on to the egg yolks, a third at a time, whisking well.

Shallow ramekins: Serve crème brûlée in individual ramekins. The small ramekins ensure the custard cooks evenly, though you could use a large wide ceramic dish instead. See my recipe note below. I love using individual wide, shallow ramekins so there is more surface area for the caramelized sugar!

le]), also known as burnt cream or Trinity cream, and virtually identical to crema catalana, is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a layer of hardened caramelized sugar.

The fat is what makes the crème brûlée custard rich and buttery. And since the French are no strangers to fat, butter, and sugar when it comes to cooking and baking, it's no surprise that the luscious base of the classic crème brûlée relies so heavily on this specific dairy product and all the milk fat it offers.

Cook in a bain-marie

Crème brûlée must be cooked in a bain-marie. It distributes the heat evenly through the egg custard and the temperature can be lowered when necessary.

Is Egg Custard the same as Creme Brulee? Egg custard and creme brulee are not the same. The main difference between the two is that creme brulee is topped with a layer of sugar that caramelizes under a broiler or torch, resulting in a crunchy, burnt sugar topping.

Choosing a Dish

The ideal thickness of the dessert is about one to two inches. If you'd like to serve your crème brûlée family-style, Francois says you can also use a Pyrex casserole dish and just pour enough of the mixture to reach one to two inches up the side.

Traditionally, however, a ramekin was used as a baking dish, so the circular shape and ridged exterior were designed to assist in baking individual desserts. While most of the time a ramekin and a small cup are interchangeable, it's highly recommended to use a ramekin for baking small soufflés or crème brûlée.

If you don't have ramekins, you can use a standard muffin pan. Grease 6 muffin pan cups and dust with cocoa powder to prevent the lava cakes from sticking. Because your lava cakes will be slightly smaller, you'll get 6 lava cakes instead of 4.

Crème brûlée is a baked custard made with cream, sugar and egg yolks with a thin layer of sugar on top that is caramelized with a kitchen torch to create a hard caramel crust. Flan is also a custard made with cream, milk, sugar and egg yolks, but it's baked in a caramel-lined ramekin until soft and jiggly.

What is the best temperature to bake crème brûlée? ›

Bake at 300 F, for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards seem "set" when gently shaken.

In French, crème brûlée means "burnt cream." Some 300 years after Chef Massialot, the dessert is definitely an important part of the country's cuisine having a National Crème Brûlée Day celebrated every July 27th.

If your crème brûlée still looks runny after the recommended baking time, give it a few minutes more, but don't go crazy – overcooking it can cause it to separate. You'll know it's ready when it's firm around the edges but still jiggles slightly in the middle.

Before You Fire up the Torch

Once you've got the crème part down, it's time for the brûlée—which means "burnt" in French. You'll be using a butane culinary torch.

This is most likely due to underbaking. Creme Brulee is perfectly baked when it is set and firm around the edges but still has a wobble / jiggle in the middle when shaken. Additionally, it is important to chill thoroughly, ideally overnight, before diving in.

Cooking the creme brulee

Note, the cream should be at room temperature! If the cream is too hot, it will cook and scramble the eggs.