Homemade crème brûlée: French dessert made for dinner parties

A simple dessert that will surprise everybody, homemade crème brûlée is the best out there. It's delicate with a bit of fun when you break the sugar.

Sep 30, 2022 - 16:15
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Homemade crème brûlée: French dessert made for dinner parties

Are you planning any fancy dinners soon? Do you want to surprise your guests with fancy desserts after a great meal? When you think about amazing desserts, France is always the country with some of the best. Our homemade crème brûlée recipe is simple even if it takes a bit of patience. You can also make it with ingredients you probably already have at home. It’s a beautiful custard dessert with caramelised sugar, so it’s going to be fantastic.

Homemade crème brûlée tips

It is normally served slightly chilled; the heat from the caramelising process tends to warm the top of the custard, while leaving the center cool. This makes some great textures which are important for enjoying your food. You can add a teaspoon of vanilla essence into the custard too when it’s on the heat. However, using fresh vanilla pods is of course better but can be hard to find and expensive.

You have to temper the eggs when mixing it with the cream, so add some of the warm mixture into the eggs first to equalize the temperature first so they don’t scramble.

A simple dessert that will surprise everybody, homemade crème brûlée is the best out there. It’s delicate with a bit of fun when you break the sugar.

Homemade crème brûlée recipe
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Homemade crème brûlée recipe

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Recipe by Gary Dunn Course: DessertCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Easy
Prep time

25

minutes
Baking Time

40

minutes
Total time

1

hour 

5

minutes

Ingredients

  • 500 ml cream

  • 1 small cinnamon stick

  • 8 egg yolks

  • 30 g sugar

  • grated lemon zest

Method

  • Combine cream and sugar with the cinnamon stick and lemon zest.
  • Bring o a very gentle simmer and then remove from the heat.
  • Add the eight well beaten egg yolks. (First add a tablespoon or two of the warm mixture into the eggs to even out the temperature). Whipping the mixture as you do.
  • Pour the mixture into shallow ramekins in a tray with water in it.
  • Bake at 160°C for 30-40 minutes.
  • When cooked, allow to cool and then put into the fridge.
  • Before serving, add a thick layer of sugar to each ramekin and either brown with a torch or under the grill.
  • Chill again before serving.

Notes

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Do you want to make more delicious French dessert recipes to enjoy with your friends and family? Have a look at our excellent recipe suggestions for you to try. There are many more old-school recipes like this one. They are published in the Rotary Anns, Dinner at Eight recipe book.

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