Cookbooks
Never Say Never to Dolce
A brand-new collection of 50 approachable homemade desserts – from iconic Cannoli to Dolci al Cucchiaio and more – that proves there’s always room for a little sweetness.
Manuela’s Sweet Temptations
A collection of 50 irresistible dessert recipes, from classic Italian treats to modern favorites—including gluten-free options.
The Complete Italian Cookbook: Essential Regional Cooking of Italy
A collection of 50 irresistible dessert recipes, from classic Italian treats to modern favorites—including gluten-free options.
Simple Recipe to Make the Best Crème Brûlée
Impress your special someone with this deliciously sinful crème brûlée Rich and velvety custard cream, topped with a perfectly sweet and crunchy layer of caramelized sugar
I’m positive that creme brûlée (“burnt cream”) is a favorite for many of you. It sure is one of my favorite classic French dessert!
And what’s not to like?! An elegant, rich, and indulgent custard cream, topped with a warm and crunchy layer of caramelized sugar that you normally would find at fancy restaurants!
And let’s not forget about the satisfying pleasure of cracking the top with the little spoon when still hot, and dig in the cooler, creamy layer underneath.
Heavenly, right?!?
This is the perfect dessert to impress your party guests or to woe your special someone at the end of a romantic dinner…. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner people!!
And trust me, making crème brûlée is a lot easier than it looks.
The recipe requires only FOUR simple ingredients (heavy cream, sugar, eggs, and vanilla).
I used pure vanilla extract to give extra flavor to the cream mixture, because it’s all I had.
But for best results, you should use vanilla bean paste or whole vanilla beans.
In the recipe below, simply warm up the heavy cream with the split vanilla bean.
Remove the bean before adding to the custard mixture. Simple as that!
It’s best to use a blow torch to caramelize the sugar.
BUT, if you don’t have a kitchen torch, NO worries!
You can turn on your oven to broil, place the ramekins on a baking sheet on the very top oven rack, and watch the magic happen.
Just please make sure to keep an eye on it. That sugar top easily goes from melty, to golden to completely brunt in NO time.
And you might need to move the ramekins around to have a uniform crunchiness.
So, simply watch closely.
Now, let’s talk about what I don’t like about this recipe. The hardest part is WAITING!
UGH!
Yes, waiting for the dessert to chill in the refrigerator can be pure torture.
So, please don’t ask me if you can caramelize the top and eat this right out of the oven. The answer is NO!
You’ve got to wait for the custard cream to cool and set for at least a couple of hours (or overnight) before you can move to the next step. And get that sugary crackly top.
I know, I know … so hard! But really worth it:)
Other dessert recipes you might like:
Enjoy!! Here is my easy crème brûlée recipe
*Note: Save the leftover egg whites!! You can always store them in the refrigerator for a day. And then bake an almond tart, almond cookies, coconut macaroons, or meringues.
Watch my 30 seconds video recipe INSTAGRAM REEL:
Simple Recipe to Make the Best Crème Brûlée
Impress your special someone with this deliciously sinful crème brûlée Rich and velvety custard cream, topped with a perfectly sweet and crunchy layer of caramelized sugar
Servings:
2
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
40 min
Resting Time
3 hr
Total Time
3 hr, 45 min
Ingredients
- 1 cup (235 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup (50 gr) granulated sugar, plus about 1 tablespoon to sprinkle on top
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean, splitl leghtwise)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180° C). In a medium saucepan heat the cream (and vanilla bean if using – if using vanilla extract add it later) Cook over medium heat until hot, almost boiling
- In a medium bowl, whisk well the egg yolks with the white sugar and vanilla extract.
- Add some of the hot cream (about 1/4 cup) to the egg mixture and whisk well until smooth.
- Pour the remaining cream and whisk.
- Use four 4oz ramekins, or 2 8oz ramekins. Place the ramekins into a baking dish. Divide the mixture into the ramekins.
- Pour boiling hot water in the baking dish, up to about halfway the sides of the ramekins. Careful not to pour water inside the ramekins 🙂
- Carefully place in the middle-upper part of the oven. And bake for 30 to 40 minutes until lightly golden on top and barely set. If using shallow/smaller ramekin the baking time is closer to 30 minutes. Longer time is needed for bigger/deeper creme brule
- Remove the ramekins from the hot water and let them cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours so the cream will set. Or overnight, if you prefer.
- Sprinkle the top with about one teaspoon (or less) of sugar, and using a torch, caramelize the sugar to form a crispy golden top.
- If you don’t have a torch, preheat the oven to broil. Place the ramekins under the broiler until the sugar melts. It should take between 30 seconds to two minutes, based on your oven and how close is the pan to the flame. You have to be really careful and make sure not to burn the top.
