Authentic Crème Brûlée: French Sweetness Enjoyed at Home Without an Oven
No-Oven! Simple Homemade Crème Brûlée Recipe
Introducing an easy way to make the quintessential French dessert, Crème Brûlée, right at home without an oven! Crème Brûlée, meaning ‘burnt cream,’ is a delightful dessert featuring a sweet, smooth custard topped with a satisfyingly crisp caramelized sugar crust. While its origins are debated among France, England, and Spain, the modern recipe is attributed to French chef Alain Ducasse in 1982. Follow this simple and delicious recipe to enjoy a sophisticated Crème Brûlée in your own kitchen!
Crème Brûlée Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks
- 300ml milk
- 50g granulated sugar (for the custard)
- 1g vanilla extract (or 1/4 vanilla bean)
- 20g potato starch
- 20g granulated sugar (for caramelizing)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
In a bowl, combine the 4 egg yolks, 50g granulated sugar, and 20g potato starch. Whisk or stir with a spatula until smooth and no lumps remain. Mix until the sugar is somewhat dissolved and the yolks and starch are well combined.
Step 2
In a saucepan, heat 300ml of milk with 1g of vanilla extract (or the seeds scraped from 1/4 vanilla bean) over medium-low heat until it reaches 60-70°C. Be careful not to boil the milk; it’s ready when a slight steam rises from the surface. If using a vanilla bean, scrape the seeds and add them to the milk while heating to infuse the flavor.
Step 3
Gradually pour the warmed milk (60-70°C) into the egg yolk mixture from step 1, whisking constantly. Adding the milk slowly while whisking vigorously prevents the egg yolks from cooking and ensures a smooth custard. Pouring all at once can cause the eggs to scramble.
Step 4
Now, we’ll thicken the mixture using a double boiler (bain-marie). Fill a larger pot with about 1-2 cm of water and place the saucepan containing the mixture from step 2 into it. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring continuously, for about 5-10 minutes, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Be careful not to overcook, as this can curdle the custard. The consistency should be like a thin sauce.
Step 5
Strain the custard mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. This step is crucial for achieving a silky-smooth texture. Cover the surface of the custard directly with plastic wrap, ensuring it touches the surface. This prevents a skin from forming as it cools.
Step 6
Divide the custard evenly into individual ramekins or small oven-safe dishes. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until completely chilled. Chilling the custard thoroughly is essential for the perfect crème brûlée experience.
Step 7
Once the crème brûlée is well chilled, sprinkle about 20g (1-2 tablespoons) of granulated sugar evenly over the surface. Using a kitchen torch, carefully melt and caramelize the sugar until it forms a deep golden-brown, crisp crust. If you don’t have a torch, you can melt sugar in a dry pan to create caramel, spread it thinly on parchment paper, let it harden, then break it into pieces to place on top. Enjoy your crème brûlée immediately after creating the caramelized top for the best texture contrast!
