Crème Brûlée
The name is decidedly French, but the origin of Crème Brûlée is in some dispute having been around since the Middle Ages.
Crème Brûlée first appeared in print in a French 1691 cookbook, so they get credit for first documenting the dish, but they may or may not have thought of it first. The British had a similar dessert, Trinity Cream since at least the 17th Century and Spain has had its version Creama Catalana as early as the 14th Century. There were subtle differences is each recipe, but the outcome was the same - a sweet egg and cream custard with a browned sugar topping. But the truth is that custard dishes were all over Europe even in ancient Roman times when a hot milk and egg mixture is well documented and easily was a forerunner to what eventually evolved as custard.
Thomas Jefferson is credited with bringing Crème Brûlée to America in the colonial period and Julia Child reintroduced it to a broader audience on a November 1970 PBS broadcast of The French Chef. But the dessert really didn't catch on until restaurateurs across the US began putting it on their menus in the 1980s, led by Bouchon in Napa Valley, and Restaurant Daniel in New York City.
I first made this recipe in the 90's for a holiday dinner party. I don't remember where I got it, but I was surprised at how simple it was to make this very classic and classy dessert. I followed the recipe to the letter and the product came out flawless. I decided to recreate this dish recently for a family holiday treat. Whoever you were that gave me this recipe, thank you for sharing.
How to Get the “Burnt” in “Burnt Cream”
Crème Brûlée means “burnt cream”, and the dish is so called because of the caramelized sugar on top when served. You can caramelize the sugar under the broiler or you can purchase a kitchen torch that is specifically marketed for this task. It’s actually quite dramatic - and fun - to do the caramelization process with one of these tools at the dinner table in front of your guests.
The original recipe I used for inspiration for this post was called "Tahitian Vanilla Crème Brûlée" which honestly is just a bit of marketing hype. Unless you're, like, really into vanilla, you won't have much choice over where it comes from. The most famous types are Bourbon and Tahitian vanilla. Bourbon vanilla is regarded as the best vanilla by many food connoisseurs and is the vanilla found in the ‘Bourbon’ islands, namely Comoros, Seychelles, Reunion and mostly famously, Madagascar. But a good deal of vanilla today comes from Mexico, India and China.
Regardless, when you buy vanilla extract, be sure it says just that. Don't get "vanilla flavored" extract, a vastly inferior product. While they are expensive, buy some real, whole vanilla beans. You can use the whole bean by splitting it open with a sharp knife and scrape out the pulp, which are actually tiny vanilla seeds. This will put specks of vanilla into your Crème Brûlée, giving it a more authentic appearance and flavor.
Crème Brûlée
The name is decidedly French, but the origin of Crème Brûlée is in some dispute having been around since the Middle Ages.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Half & Half
- 1 whole vanilla bean (split and with the seeds scooped out)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 whole egg, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup sugar or brown sugar for the topping
- fresh raspberries or blackberries for garnish
Instructions
- Heat 1/2 of the Half & Half in a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat with the vanilla bean pulp and the vanilla extract. Bring to just under a simmer and keep a watchful eye. If left un-managed, it will quickly boil over and make a huge mess on your stovetop. The liquid should be steaming hot, but not bubbling.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the whole egg, egg yolks and the sugar together until smooth and well blended.
- Pour a small amount of the hot Half & Half into the egg mixture to temper the eggs, whisking constantly. Continue to do this until all of the heated Half & Half has been added to the mixing bowl.
- Add the remaining unheated Half & Half and the heavy cream to the mixing bowl, whisking well to combine. Allow to cool completely.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F degrees.
- You will need eight 5-ounce ramekins. Fill all to about the four ounce line.
- Place all of the ramekins in a 9" x 14" baking dish. Fill the baking dish with boiling hot water until the water line is about 1/2 the way up to the top of the ramekins.
- Cover the whole baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the upper rack of your oven for 55 minutes. You'll know the custard is done when it jiggles slightly in the middle and when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the ramekins from the water bath and allow them to come to room temperature for at least an hour. Then, cover with cling-wrap and chill completely in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
- Sprinkle sugar over the surface of each Crème Brûlée and using your oven's broiler or a kitchen blowtorch, bring the sugar to a browned and bubbly state, and thoroughly caramelized.
- Serve with a berry or two as garnish.
