Lavender Creme Brulee Recipe - Lavender & Macarons (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret of crème brûlée? ›

Chill custard overnight.

To get the smoothest, most gorgeous crème brûlée, cover the bowl and chill overnight. If you don't have the time, you can continue with the baking, but you'll get the silkiest custards by chilling the mix for at least a few hours.

"You really need to use white granulated sugar," says senior food editor Chris Morocco. The small granules caramelize quickly, meaning the sugar won't get overly burnt and the pudding won't melt. Also, he points out: The white crystals provide a visual cue as you're torching it.

The traditional method of cooking creme brulee is to bake it in a low-temperature oven in a water bath for even heating (see our post, Thermal Secrets for Crème Brûlée). Even with this gentle method, it's still possible to over bake the custards, resulting in curdled texture.

Making crème brûlée requires heating heavy cream to a simmer or gentle boil first. Once the heavy cream is hot enough, bakers are tempted to pour all of it at once into the egg yolks. This is the mistake we're talking about because instead of making crème brûlée, you'll be making scrambled eggs.

The hardest part about making Creme Brulee is waiting for the custard to set in the fridge and being fearless with the mini blow torch. Yes, you have to make Creme Brulee ahead of time, but I love a dessert that bakes the day before.

After you've melted and caramelized the crème brûlée top, let it rest and harden for up to half an hour. You can do this before dinner, put them in the fridge, and then eat after you're done with your meal.

caramelization - Melting sugar on creme brulee with blow torch - Seasoned Advice.

I will say the trickiest part of making a creme brûlée is deciding when to pull it from the oven. It is ready when the middle jiggles, but the edges are set, like in my video. If the whole thing is still super jiggly, it needs more time, check every 10 minutes after. If the none if it jiggles, it is overcooked.

A lighter version of the classic French dinner party dessert, this vanilla crème brûlée recipe from Raymond Blanc uses milk instead of traditional double cream.

Don't chill too long after adding topping: Once you caramelize the topping, don't refrigerate the crème brûlée longer than 30 minutes because the gorgeous hardened top will deteriorate and become soft.

Can you use Pyrex for crème brûlée? ›

Choosing a Dish

The ideal thickness of the dessert is about one to two inches. If you'd like to serve your crème brûlée family-style, Francois says you can also use a Pyrex casserole dish and just pour enough of the mixture to reach one to two inches up the side.

Cook the crèmes for 45-60 minutes on the sturdy baking tray in the oven on the lower rack at 100℃ (210℉) (There's no water bath.). If you are using large ramequins (bigger than 4 inches/10cm), your cook time can be up to an hour.

If you have a mixture resembling sweet scrambled eggs then the eggs in the creme brulee are curdling and this happens because they become over heated.

You want to make sure all the sugar granules have melted, and the sugar has at least a tint of caramel color. The longer you torch the surface, the darker it will become and the more bitter the sugar crust will be. Sprinkle each of the custards with an additional teaspoon of sugar and brûlée the surface again.

Undercooked: It's possible that you didn't bake it long enough. Crème brûlée should be set around the edges but still slightly wobbly in the center when you take it out. It will continue to set as it cools. Too much liquid: Make sure you're using the right proportion of cream to egg yolks.

Sometimes Creme Brulee is not smooth

If you over whisk the eggs, they incorporate too much air and puff up in the oven. You can see this happen if you watch through the oven door. Another possible cause is under baking. The custard should be set but still jiggle when shaken gently, not remain liquid.