Just a few more days to end this crazy 2020. I don’t know about you but I’ll spend New Years Eve at home, watching tv and cooking something with my husband and dessert is something in our menu for sure.
Crème brûlée is a great idea for New Years because it looks festive/fancy, doesn’t need a lot of ingredients and is super easy to make.
Let’s start with the recipe and if you want to watch how I made this dessert, don’t forget to visit me on Instagram @pastry_tales
Oh! I forgot to mention that I’m using gold paper cups (my sister in-law gifted them to me, thanks Nancey!) BUT if you do the same be careful when you use your kitchen torch. You can safely use regular porcelain/glass ramekins.
If you have never made crème brulee before, I recommend using glass/porcelain ones.
Yield 4 small servings (cupcake size). If you want a bigger batch, just double or triple the ingredients. We are just 2 people at home so I didn’t make more.
Ingredients
3 large egg yolks at room temperature
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
extra sugar for the brulee/torch part
Also, you will need hot boiling water.
Directions
1.- Preheat oven to 325 F.
2.- In a medium size bowl, whisk yolks for one minute. Then, add granulated sugar and keep mixing until well blended and the color is lighter. Set aside.
3.- Pour heavy whipping cream in a saucepan and heat oven medium heat. Stir until the cream is warm and it starts to boil. Turn off the heat. Add in vanilla extract and mix well.
4.- Add 1/2 cup of this hot cream mixture into the yolks/sugar mixture and be sure to whisk as you are adding the cream. Then, add the rest and keep mixing. The mixing /whisk is very important because you need to temper your eggs and avoid cooking them.
5.- If you see a thin layer of foam on top, grab a spoon and discard it.
6.- Pour mixture into your small containers/ramekins and place them into a bigger pan with the hot water that reaches 1/3 full.
If using paper cups like me, I recommend that you place each liner into a jumbo muffin pan with hot water and bake them like that.
7.- Bake for 30-40 minutes max. You will know is ready when the edges are set and the centers are slightly jiggly. Take them out from the hot water and let them cool to room temperature. Finally, place them in the fridge to set for a few hours. I usually leave them overnight.
8.- Just before serving, take them out of the fridge, grab a piece of paper towel and gently absorb any moisture from the tops, sprinkle a thin layer of granulated sugar on top of each crème brulee and then torch it with your kitchen torch. Wait for 15 minutes until the caramel gets hard and then serve.
If you don’t have one, you can use the broiler setting of your oven but be careful that it doesn’t burn too fast. I recommend that after using the broiler, you place them into the fridge again because the custard will be warm, 30 minutes in the fridge is ok.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe let me know!
