This classic French vanilla bean crème brûlée is a simple dessert made of a rich custard base flavoured with vanilla bean and topped with two layers of caramelized brown sugar.
This classic vanilla bean crème brûlée recipe has stolen my heart. Ever since I made this easy crème brûlée recipe it has been on repeat at home. It is one of my husband’s favourite things to have an I get to make him happy with so little effort because this is such an easy and quick dessert: only 10 minutes to put together plus the baking time. This simple crème brûlée recipe can be made ahead, kept in the refrigerator, and caramelized with brown sugar just before serving. You can find some tips on how to caramelize it with or without torch below! A simple, easy, and classic dessert that is oh so silky smooth and never ceases to impress!
It a classic French dessert, formed by a rich custard and top with caramelized brown sugar. It is baked in the oven at low temperature to be able to get that creamy texture. The best part is when you get to crack it open with the spoon and hear that delicious, caramelized layer break.
Ingredients to make vanilla crème brûlée
The classic ramekins for this easy dessert are round and not very thick. If you don't have this exact type, you can replace them with:
You only need 10 actual minutes of work to end up having this delicious vanilla crème brûlée.
That is, it. Done. The only thing left is to caramelize it before serving.
The easy way to bake this dessert is to set the oven to 100 degrees Celsius (210 F) and bake until set. Approximately 30 minutes if you use classic crème brûlée ramekins (they are quite thin).
The oven temperature is the key to obtaining a smooth and silky vanilla crème brûlée. If the temperature is too high, you will boil the crème brûlée and it will no longer be smooth or silky or taste particularly good.
How do you know when it has set, and you can remove from the oven? Make a test: open the oven and gently move one of the ramekins using a kitchen towel. If it is still wiggly and kind of "dances" then it needs some extra baking minutes. If on the contrary it does not move, your crème brûlée is set and ready to cool down.
The vanilla crème brûlée must be chilled before you caramelize. To torch:
You can have crème brûlée without a torch! To do so:
Once you baked the crème brûlée and it has cooled down, cover in plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it.
It keeps for up to 1 week without the caramelized sugar layer on top.
This dessert is ideal to make ahead and keep stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it (it keeps for up to 1 week). When hosting a dinner party, for example, I serve crème brulee quite often because it allows me to prep dessert with anticipation and then only take care of dinner on the day of the event. When dessert time comes, I only must caramelize the vanilla bean brulee and that is it! Such an easy treat to have in your back pocket!
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Classic!
My favorite dessert. I will try it soon.
HI Louise! let me know how it turns out! It's my husbands favorite too :)