How to make the perfect creme brûlée: the original French recipe

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The crème brûlée (burnt cream) is a simple dessert, but so good that it has been prepared for centuries.

It is very easy to confuse the crème brûlée with the Catalan cream, but the substantial difference is that the crème brûlée is cooked in a bain-marie and includes cream among the ingredients, while the Catalan cream is made only with whole milk.

The diatribe on the paternity of the crème brûlée, contended between France and England, is still very heated, even if the latter is probably the home of the famous dessert, which on the soil of Albion is called crème anglaise. Although to tell the truth, the real English cream is liquid and cooking does not go beyond 85 degrees centigrade, so, despite being the same preparation, it has a much faster cooking and different consistency and uses.

But what really interests us is the recipe for making the perfect creme brûlée, among other things very easy to do and handy when you don’t know what to do with the leftover cream and milk, so let’s dig in!

A trick for a superlative creme brûlée is to add 6 cl of rum or brandy, just enough to flavor the cream. Do not worry, there is no danger of getting drunk: cooking all the alcohol will evaporate, leaving only a memory.

Ingredients and doses for making the perfect crème brûlée

6 servings

• 5 egg yolks
• 100 grams of icing sugar
• 1 vanilla pod
• 450 ml of cream
• 140 ml of milk
• 2 cl of brandy. cognac, armagna or whisky, optional

How to prepare the ultimate crème brûlée

Turn on the oven immediately and set the temperature to 170 degrees.

Cut the vanilla pod in half and scrape off the seeds with the knife.

Put the yolks in a large bowl and whip them with a fork, then add the sugar and stir.

Now add the milk and cream slowly and stir until it is completely incorporated, add the vanilla seeds and finally the brandy.

Strain the mixture to remove any residue and pour into 8 small cocotte. Now put the ramequins in a large pot with high sides, full of water, so that it reaches at least half of the cocotte.

Put in the oven and cook for 40 minutes.

Remove the ramequins when the cream is solid, but with the center still shaky and soft. Let it cool and then put it in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

20 minutes before serving the crème brûlée, remove the cocotte from the refrigerator and pour a tablespoon of brown sugar over each. Spread it well to cover the entire surface.

Now the most awaited moment, we must burn the cream! With a kitchen flame or simply passing the cocotte under the oven grill, caramelize the sugar.

Refrigerate again for 10 minutes and then serve your beautiful creme brûlée!

Variants

If you want to make your crème brûlée unique and a little different from the usual, after caramelizing the sugar on the surface, decorate with some berries. A quick and undemanding addition that breaks the sweetness of the crème brûlée with a fresh touch.

Which wine goes well with Creme Brûlée?

Without delay, the Recioto di Soave from the Tamellini winery, a nectar of infinite sweetness and great elegance, which deserves a sumptuous dessert.