Crème Brûlée

The caramel top

The defining characteristic of crème brûlée is the contrast between the cold, trembling custard beneath and the hot, brittle caramel cap on top. The sugar must be applied as a thin, even layer and caramelised very quickly — either under a very hot grill or with a culinary blowtorch — to avoid warming the custard. The result should be a glassy, golden disc that shatters cleanly when tapped with a spoon, the shards mixing with the custard below.

The custard

A proper crème brûlée is made with heavy cream, not milk — the fat content gives it the characteristic rich, silky texture. Egg yolks are used without whites, and the proportion of yolks to cream is high. The mixture is infused with vanilla (ideally scraped from a whole pod), gently heated, and poured into ramekins to bake in a bain-marie (water bath) at low temperature. The water bath ensures gentle, even heat and prevents the eggs from curdling.

Competing national claims

England, France, and Spain all claim variants of this dish. The French claim the classic crème brûlée; Trinity College, Cambridge claims “burnt cream,” supposedly served to King James I; Spain has crema catalana, which uses milk rather than cream and is flavoured with cinnamon and citrus. The precise lineage is unresolved, though the modern restaurant version is firmly French.

Variations

Classic vanilla is the benchmark, but crème brûlée absorbs flavourings well — coffee, lavender, orange, passion fruit, and pistachio are common variations. The custard can be lightened with milk for a less rich version, or enriched further with additional yolks. Some restaurants serve a flavoured custard with a complementary caramel top.