If you like a creamy smooth texture combined with an irresistible caramel/ vanilla taste than this is the recipe for you. I have combined a couple of different recipes to achieve a perfect harmony in flavors. Do yourself a favor, if you don’t have a thermometer in your oven, purchase one before starting this recipe, it will save you headaches.
Caramel:
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon water
Custard:
- 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons vanilla bean paste or 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 9 large egg yolks
Sugar for caramelizing top of crème Brulee
- Preheat Oven to 300°F
- Combine the sugar and the water in a saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves
- Increase to medium-high heat to bring to a boil (use a pastry brush & water to keep sides of pan free of sugar)
- Let it boil without stirring, watching carefully as the water boils off and it begins to turn yellow
- Gently swirl until the sugar turns an even golden. Take it off of the heat before it gets brown. (if you are having problems with this step you may omit – your crème brulee will just be less rich in flavor)
- Heat the cream and milk till hot (just to a scalding point)
- Add caramel, (it will spatter a bit going in) stir constantly till caramel is dissolved
- Whisk egg yolks with sugar in large bowl
- Slowly whisk in cream mixture/ strain
- Add vanilla
- Pour back into pot stirring constantly at low heat just until it thickens slightly
- Let mixture sit for about 5 minutes
- Place custard cups or ramekins in a 9×13 cake pan. Fill cups about 1/2” from the top. Fill the cake pan so the waterline is slightly over 1/2 way up the custard cups
- Bake for about 45 minutes or until the edges are set and the center is slightly jiggly (the surface will have a film on it). Start to check at about 35 minutes as you don’t want to over cook these
- Remove from oven & chill uncovered in refrigerator for several hours up to a day
- Top with granulated sugar & caramelize (I use a kitchen torch)
Enjoy!
This can be a hard recipe to master. No worries, if you overcook the crème brulee you get custard. If you undercook you’ll still have a very yummy custard cream sauce.