Julia Child’s Crème Brûlée recipe is still my go-to whenever I feel like making this divine, decadent and all together delicious dessert. You can pick up a cook’s blow torch from any good cooking store, so although you may think it impossible to make at home, it’s actually dead easy!
makes 4-6 (depending on size of ramekin). Serve with fresh cream or ice cream and/or berries and/or shaved coconut and lime or berry coulis and your favourite dessert wine!
3 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup superfine sugar (for topping)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees F).
Put cream into a saucepan with vanilla bean and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, cover the pot and allow to stand for 30 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until the yolks are thick and pale yellow.
Remove the vanilla bean from the cream and slowly stir the warm cream into the yolk mixture, a little at a time, until it it all well mixed together. Skim any bubbles off the surface of the mixture using a large spoon.
In a large, deep baking tray arrange the ramekins and ladle custard into each, leaving about a 1/4 inch at the top. Fill the baking tray with hot water until it reaches about halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top is set, but custard in the centre is still soft and a bit wobbly. Remove ramekins from hot water and allow them to cool briefly before putting them in the fridge. Leave overnight to set (I cover with a tea towel). Just before serving, sprinkle a tablespoon or so of superfine sugar on each one and smooth it gently with the back of a spoon, so it’s evenly spread. Melt the sugar until it starts to caramelise, using a cooking blow torch. Enjoy!!