Step by Step: Decadent Crème Brûlée

This recipe first appeared in our March 2013 issue courtesy Natalie Findlay.

You hear the crackle as you break through the crisp shell of caramelized sugar. Your spoon gently meets the rich, smooth custard centre. Bringing the luxurious cream towards your mouth you can see the dark flecks of vanilla bean. Ahhh, crème brûlée.

From the finest restaurants to your family dining table, you can achieve the same results by following these instructions.

A few general tips before the recipe:

• Egg yolks give crème brûlée its rich, dense consistency.

• Baked custards should be cooked slowly, at lower heat and in a water bath that comes half-way up the sides of the ramekins. The water helps insulate the custards and prevents the edges from cooking too quickly.

• There are two ways to transport the crème brûlées to the oven:

• Place a couple of pieces of parchment or a non-stick mat in the base of a high-sided pan (to stop the brûlées from sliding in the water) and put the pan in the oven before adding the filled ramekins or

• Place the ramekins in the pan, place in the oven and then add the water.

• In a dessert as sublime as crème brûlée the use of real vanilla beans delivers true decadence.

• Once cooking is complete, remove the ramekins from the water bath immediately to prevent further cooking.

• The chilling process is important as it helps to create the dense texture of the crème brûlee.

• Tempering is the process of gradually adding cream to a mixture of egg yolks. This is done so the eggs do not cook too quickly and scramble.

• Make sure to pour the cooked crème brûlée mixture through a sieve to get a smooth, silky texture.

Here are some options and flavour combinations to keep your crème brûlée repertoire exciting:

Grand Marnier and orange zest - Add 15 mL (1 Tbs) of Grand Marnier and half an orange (sliced in larger pieces without the pith) to the cream mixture and follow the rest of the recipe.

Chocolate - Add 250g (1 cup) of finely chopped bittersweet chocolate to the cream mixture once the cream has reach a scald. Whisk until all the chocolate has melted and incorporated with the cream. Proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Lavender - Cold steep the cream with 45 mL (3 Tbs) of culinary lavender for one day before making the crème brûlée mixture.

You can also change the crème brûlée by the kind of sugar you use to brûlée the top. A raw sugar can give you grainy, crispy topping. A maple sugar adds a subtle maple taste.

The flavour combinations are endless. Make sure not to overpower the crème brûlée by bombarding the mixture with too strong a flavour profile. The essence should be well balanced and elegant.