Crème Brûlée
Amelie was one of the first films I thought of for my food-in-film series. The scene where she cracks crème brûlées is iconic. I spent a week perfecting these, tweaking the consistency—though playing with a blowtorch and eating the results wasn’t exactly a hardship. Next time, I’m tempted to infuse the cream with tea (like jasmine) or add a layer of chocolate or fruit puree at the bottom for extra oomph.
Serves 6
Hands-on Time 15 minutes (plus cooling)
Baking Time 40 minutes
Ingredients
600ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
6 large egg yolks
65g caster sugar (plus 6 tsp for topping)
Equipment
Saucepan
Bowl
Whisk
Sieve (optional)
Jug
6 ramekins
Kitchen paper
Roasting tray
Kettle of water
Blowtorch (optional)
Method
1. Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C (fan)/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
2. Heat the cream
In a saucepan, combine the double cream and vanilla. Heat over low heat until steaming (do not boil).
3. Prepare the custard base
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 65g caster sugar until thick and creamy.
Gradually pour the warm cream into the egg mixture, whisking continuously until fully combined.
For a smoother texture, strain the mixture through a sieve into a jug.
4. Fill the ramekins
Divide the mixture evenly among the 6 ramekins.
Gently tap each ramekin on the worktop to remove air bubbles.
5. Bake the crème brûlées
Place a piece of kitchen paper in the bottom of a roasting tray and arrange the ramekins on top.
Carefully pour freshly boiled water into the tray until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake on the middle shelf for 40 minutes, or until set with a slight wobble.
6. Cool the crème brûlées
Remove the ramekins from the water bath and dry their bottoms.
Let them cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
7. Caramelise the tops
Sprinkle 1 tsp caster sugar evenly over each crème brûlée.
Use a blowtorch to melt and caramelise the sugar until golden. Alternatively, place under a preheated grill, watching closely to avoid burning.
8. Serve
Serve immediately, tapping the caramelised tops to create shards.
Enjoy!
