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.

Crème Brûlée
Crème Brûlée

Serves 6

Hands-on Time 15 minutes (plus cooling)

Baking Time 40 minutes

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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!