Crème Brûlée

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Crème brûlée is virtually identical to the original creme Catalana. In fact, The earliest known recipe of a dessert called crème brûlée appears in François Massialot's 1691 cookbook. However, some authors suggesting that crema Catalana, whose origins date to the 14th century, may have inspired chefs throughout Europe. Crème brûlée is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a hardened caramelized sugar. It is traditionally flavored with vanilla.

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Vanilla Mixture

Crème brûlée mixture can be made ahead and being kept refrigerated for up to 3 days. Stir it up before using. For chocolate creme brûlée: add 65g bittersweet 80% chocolate in the hot custard.
Bring to a simmer, cream, milk, vanilla seeds and pod and 20g sugar. Turn heat off, cover and let infuse for about 20 min. Meanwhile, beat yolks with the 90g remaining sugar. Gradually pour hot liquid in the yolks mixture, sieve and fill ramekins. If bubbles appear on the surface of the custard, blow them off with the kitchen torch. Place the baking tray on the oven rack, pour boiling water into the baking tray or dish taking care not to splash water into the custard, until water reaches two-third height of the ramekins.

Baking

Conventional oven: bake at 325ºF/160ºC for about 35 minutes until set. Convection oven: creme brûlée can be cooked without hot water at 275ºF/135ºC. Transfer creme brûlée to a clean baking tray and allow to cool completely before refrigeration.

Storage

Set ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet, cover each dish tightly with a piece of plastic wrap without touching the custard. Refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or up to 5 days. Do not hold freezer.

Brûlée The Top

Uncover ramekins, if condensation has collected on custards place a paper towel on the surface to soak up moisture. Sprinkle each with about 1.5 teaspoon white fine sugar or raw sugar, tilt and tap ramekin for even coverage. Caramelize sugar with a kitchen torch rotating the ramekin as it caramelizes. Repeat with a bit more sugar if to get a stronger crust. Garnish with seasonal fruits and dry vanilla pod. Serve immediately.

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