---
title: "Crème Brûlée"
section: recipes
description: "Vanilla custard baked in a water bath and finished with a caramelized sugar crust."
tags: ["dessert", "cr-me", "br-l-e", "french", "custard", "egg", "vanilla", "baking"]
created: 2024-09-27T11:11:00Z
updated: 2026-07-29T21:06:21Z
cid: bafkreieahdeovmdtzz2cvq7bbpfda26b5evfw3ogr3z454hpndqiakwrca
html: https://iammatthias.com/recipes/1727460674219-creme-brulee
---

# Crème Brûlée

```recipe
yield: "2 servings"
time: "20 min active · 4 h 30 total"

ingredients:
  - { id: cream, item: "Heavy cream", amount: "240 ml (1 cup)", note: "or half-and-half for a lighter set" }
  - { id: vanilla, item: "Vanilla bean", amount: "½ bean, split", note: "or ½ tsp extract, stirred in off the heat" }
  - { id: salt, item: "Salt", amount: "a pinch" }
  - { id: yolks, item: "Egg yolks", amount: "45 g (2–3 yolks)", note: "weigh if you can — the true half of 5 yolks is 2½" }
  - { id: sugar, item: "Granulated sugar", amount: "50 g (¼ cup)", note: "plus 2 tsp for the tops" }

steps:
  - { id: oven, prep: true, do: "heat the oven to 325°F (160°C)" }
  - { id: infuse, in: [cream, vanilla, salt], do: "steep", for: "10 min", detail: "Warm over low heat until steaming, then pull it off and let the bean infuse. Fish out the pod." }
  - { id: ribbon, in: [yolks, sugar], do: "beat to a ribbon", for: "2 min", detail: "Beat the yolks and sugar until pale and thick enough to fall in a slow band off the whisk." }
  - { id: temper, in: [infuse, ribbon], do: "temper", for: "1 min", detail: "Whisk a quarter of the hot cream into the yolks, then return everything to the pan and stir to combine." }
  - { id: bake, in: [temper], do: "bake in a bain-marie", for: "30–40 min", detail: "Divide between two 6-oz ramekins, set them in a baking dish, and pour boiling water halfway up their sides. They are done when set with a faint wobble at the centre — the ramekins are the same size as in the full batch, so the time is unchanged." }
  - { id: chill, in: [bake], do: "chill", for: "4 h", detail: "Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until properly cold. They keep 2 days." }
  - { id: brulee, in: [chill], do: "brûlée", for: "5 min", detail: "Sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar over each and torch, or broil 2–3 in. from the element, until the sugar melts and browns. Eat within 2 hours — the crust softens." }
```

---

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