If there's one dessert that's easy to make and delicious, it's crème brûlée! Its fresh and melting texture, its still warm crunchy caramel and its good vanilla taste are absolutely irresistible 😋. But where does this great classic of gastronomy come from? How to make this delicate dessert? Quai Sud tells you everything and gives you its recipe for absolutely perfect vanilla crème brûlée 👌.
Crème brûlée, French or Spanish?
If crème brûlée is often unanimous among gourmets, France and Spain have long been fighting over its origin 🥊. However, our Spanish friends seem to be winning the match thanks to their Catalan cream made with eggs, milk and a little corn flour, which first appears in a Spanish cookbook in Xrd century.
However, it was a Frenchman who would have added a beautiful golden shell of caramel to this sweet cream much later. François Massialot, chef to Philippe d'Orléans, Louis XIV's brother, would have wanted to warm up this cream for his master by adding a layer of sugar heated with a hot iron until caramelized. The creme brulee was born ✨…
The crème brûlée today is very creamy because it is made with cream, or with a mixture of milk and cream. For caramel, brown sugar is generally used, except in the North and in Belgium, where blond vergeoise is preferred. In short, Spanish, French or a little Belgian, the crème brûlée seems to have started its world tour, and it always makes a stopover in the islands to unearth its star ingredient: vanilla...
Our tips for perfect crème brûlée
Because a traditional crème brûlée without vanilla is not a crème brûlée! Madagascan vanilla with notes of amber rum or tahitian vanilla with anise flavor, you are free to choose your vanilla favorite, but what makes an excellent crème brûlée is the knack. Follow our advice and you will succeed in your creme brulee for sure 😊.
It all starts with the cream, which is poured warm and whisked over the mixture of eggs and sugar to avoid cooking the yolks. Once the mixture is ready, pour into crème brûlée ramekins 1 cm thick, no more. Wait a few minutes for a foam to form on the surface (the result of your vigorous mixing) then remove it with a spoon: the texture will be more pleasant.
Then the cooking. A low temperature cooking around 90-100°C is ideal for keeping creams smooth and creamy. If you are in a hurry, choose a cooking in a bain-marie at 160°C for 30-35 minutes, covering with aluminum foil to prevent coloring. The creams are cooked when they take on a shiny appearance and no longer stick to the finger. The right consistency? Firm and slightly shaky.
Finally, the caramel. Once the very cold creams have been sprinkled with a veil of brown sugar, several options are possible to caramelize them:
- With a creme brulee iron : supplied in the kits for crème brûlée, it is heated on the hob before applying it to the creams. For a crunchy caramel to perfection.
- With a kitchen torch : the technique of the pros for a crispy effect.
- Under the broiler at 230°C : Put the creams in the freezer for about 15 minutes before putting them in the oven so that they stay very fresh, while contrasting with the hot caramel.
- By buckling : a little rum and 🔥. It's ready !
The vanilla crème brûlée recipe by Quai Sud
For 4 delicious vanilla crème brûlées, you will need:
- 50 cl whole cream
- 6 egg yolks
- 100 g of semolina sugar
- 1 clove organic vanilla from Madagascar
- 6 tablespoons of brown sugar
- Split the vanilla pod in half and collect the seeds with the tip of a knife.
- In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla seeds until the mixture becomes frothy.
- Heat the cream over low heat with the pod. Leave to infuse for 15 minutes off the heat.
- Remove the pod, then pour the cream over the eggs, mixing with a whisk.
- Divide the cream into ramekins and bake them for 45 minutes at 90°C, until they are shivering. Leave to cool to room temperature then refrigerate for 4 hours.
- Just before serving, sprinkle the creams with a little brown sugar and caramelize until you obtain an amber shell. Serve immediately.
Made with vegetable milk, flavored with tea or coffee, in a savory version with foie gras… Crème brûlée lends itself to all variations! One last tip from chef Philippe Conticini for divine crème brûlées: a second layer of brown sugar and caramelize again. A little fleur de sel to enhance the flavors of caramel and vanilla, break the shell with the back of a spoon and enjoy... 😍
Find all Quai Sud vanilla pods in our online store.
