Crème brûlée

Crème brûlée is a famous cream made from sweet cream and eggs, flavored with vanilla bean, cinnamon, and lemon and orange zest, which is cooked, cooled, and caramelized. It is also known by the names Catalan cream, Trinity cream, and vanilla cream with caramel.

Details

  • Preparation Time: 30 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 50 minutes
  • Difficulty: 2
  • Spiciness: 0
  • Number of Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 4 dl Milk, partially skimmed

  • 6 dl Sweet cream

  • 1 pod Vanilla, extract, natural

  • 1 piece Spices, cinnamon, ground

  • 1 teaspoon Lemon zest, fresh

  • 1 teaspoon Orange, shell

  • 8 pieces Egg, egg yolk, fresh

  • 115 g Powdered sugar

  • 40 g Koruzni škrob

  • 45 g Sugar, brown

Steps

  1. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a knife. Wash and dry the lemon and orange well. Finely grate the zest of the lemon and half of the orange.

  2. Mix the milk with the cream, pour the mixture into a saucepan, and add the vanilla bean, scraped seeds, cinnamon stick, and lemon and orange zest. Place the saucepan on the stove. When the mixture boils, reduce the temperature and let it simmer gently for five minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat, strain the mixture, and cool to lukewarm.

  3. Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Use the egg whites for another recipe, and mix the yolks with sugar in a bowl, whisking them until frothy for about five minutes. Add cornstarch to the frothy mixture and mix well, then slowly pour in the milk and cream mixture while constantly stirring.

  4. Preheat the oven to 160 °C. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, place it on the stove, and heat it while constantly stirring for five to ten minutes until the cream thickens. The cream must not boil! Pour it into ceramic ramekins that have been rinsed with cold water. Place them in a baking dish with high sides. Pour water into the baking dish until it reaches halfway up the ramekins. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Let the cream cool at room temperature.

  5. Turn on the broiler in the oven. Sprinkle the set cream evenly with light brown sugar. Place the baking dish under the very hot broiler for a few minutes until the sugar melts and caramelizes, turning golden yellow. The baked dessert should not wait more than one hour before serving, as the caramelized crust will soften.

Nutrition Information (Per 100g)

  • Calories: 342.77 kcal
  • Fat: 11.01 g
    • Saturated Fat: 3.77 g
  • Carbohydrates: 50.63 g
    • Sugars: 35.22 g
  • Protein: 6.29 g
  • Fiber: 1.26 g

Advice

Vanilla bean can be replaced with vanilla extract: instead of five centimeters of bean, you can use one teaspoon of vanilla extract. Crème brûlée can also be caramelized with a blowtorch. If the cream boils during cooking, it will curdle. The caramelized sugar should be golden yellow, not brown, otherwise the taste will be bitter. The dessert should not wait more than a few hours, otherwise the caramelized topping will soften. It is best to use organic citrus fruits, whose peel is not treated with pesticides. If organic citrus fruits are not available, soak them in hot water for a few minutes, then wipe them well to remove the wax, which contains toxins.