Vanilla Crème Brûlée
Silky vanilla custard baked gently in a water bath and chilled, then topped with a thin layer of sugar burnt to a glassy caramel crust that cracks under your spoon.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Infuse the cream
Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Split the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds, and add both to the cream in a saucepan. Heat until just steaming, then turn off the heat and let it infuse for 10 minutes.
- 500 ml double cream
- 1 vanilla pod
✅ Done when: cream is steaming and smells strongly of vanilla
Mix the custard
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale and slightly thickened. Slowly whisk in the warm cream (discard the vanilla pod), then strain the mixture through a sieve into a jug.
- 5 egg yolks
- 80 g caster sugar
- 500 ml infused cream from step 1
✅ Done when: mixture is smooth, pale, and lump-free
Bake in a water bath
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Chill
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Burn the sugar
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Serve
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Infuse the cream
Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Split the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds, and add both to the cream in a saucepan. Heat until just steaming, then turn off the heat and let it infuse for 10 minutes.
- 500 ml double cream
- 1 vanilla pod
✅ Done when: cream is steaming and smells strongly of vanilla
Mix the custard
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale and slightly thickened. Slowly whisk in the warm cream (discard the vanilla pod), then strain the mixture through a sieve into a jug.
- 5 egg yolks
- 80 g caster sugar
- 500 ml infused cream from step 1
✅ Done when: mixture is smooth, pale, and lump-free
Bake in a water bath
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Chill
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Burn the sugar
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
The first known recipe for crème brûlée appears in a 1691 French cookbook by François Massialot, chef to the Duke of Orléans. England's Trinity College in Cambridge has its own version, 'burnt cream', with the college crest pressed into the sugar with a hot iron.
It became a star of French restaurants in the 1980s, loved for the contrast between the cold, creamy custard and the warm, crackling caramel.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Cracking the caramel top with a spoon is one of the most satisfying moments in any dessert.
💡 Fun Fact
Crème brûlée means 'burnt cream' in French; Spain's crema catalana is its close cousin.
France (and a claim from Cambridge, England)
48.86°N, 2.35°E
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