Your ticket to foolproof crème brûlée: silky smooth custard flecked with vanilla bean and crowned with a thick lid of caramelized sugar. A video and recipe collaboration with Rodelle and Snixy Kitchen.
Crème brûlée may seem like the fancy-pantsiest of restaurant desserts, but it's actually quite simple to make at home, consisting of few ingredients plus a bit of time and materials. Once you crack the burnt sugar crust and scoop up cool, creamy custard into your maw, you'll agree that the finished product is greater than the sum of its parts.
Sarah and I put our heads together to make the most delicious, foolproof crème brûlée recipe we could along with a how-to video that shows all the steps, in collaboration with Rodelle Vanilla. Turn up the sound and enjoy!
I learned to make crème brûlée at my first restaurant job during the summer before my senior year of high school. I had managed to wrangle a position as a garde manger cook (a.k.a. glorified salad-maker) at a local restaurant in Woodland Hills (a.k.a. The Valley). In true Los Angeles fashion, Villa Piacere had an Italian name, a French chef, a Japanese sous chef, an Iranian hostess, and Latin American line cooks. The food was a delicious melding of cultures, but my favorite part of the whole restaurant was the back patio, filled with plants and strings of fairy lights that felt like a magical garden hidden within the barren hellscape that was Ventura Boulevard.
Working at Villa Piacere was not without its downsides. Most days, I left exhausted and covered in salad dressing. But I did get to learn dirty words in Spanish, and to make fresh bread, pasta, and my favorite: dessert.
One day, my chef, Serge, took a break from yelling at me long enough to show me how to make crème brûlée. He poured heavy cream into a pot and turned on the heat, remarking ponderously that his own daughter, who was close to my age, wouldn't go near the kitchen. This fact did not surprise me, but Serge's crème brûlée-making did. Serge dropped whole vanilla beans into the hot cream, and when I asked why he didn't split the beans to reveal the speckles of seeds throughout the custard, he sneered that it looked cleaner this way.
That seemed like a waste to me; wasn't the whole point of using vanilla beans to show off those glorious seeds?
Now that the only tyrannical chef I work under is the one in my own head, I always split my vanilla beans. Crème brûlée formulas are all quite similar, but we've balanced this one with a double dose of vanilla, a pinch of salt, and just enough egg yolks to give the custard a soft set. Canning jars can stand in for more costly ramekins, and a water bath will keep the custard from curdling and becoming grainy. When the custards have baked, they will wobble like Jell-o when you give the pan a shake. After a thorough chill, a dusting of sugar turns to a glassy crust beneath the flame of a kitchen torch. And the trick to a perfectly thick crust? Repeat the sprinkling and torching process once more.
Get the recipe over at Rodelle!
*Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email.
Sam says
I love this little video - well done!
valentina says
I loved everything in this video : the music, the light, each props you used.!
Ksenia @ At the Immigrant's Table says
Lovely video! Having try to shoot videos on several occassions, I know it is much harder than it seems. You gals made it look effortless. And I wholeheartedly support the double dose of vanilla, as well as the speckled look.
Kristina says
I love the advice to make a double sugar layer, so smart, I always wondered how to make the caramel layer thicker.
traci | vanilla and bean says
One of the first few times I made creme brulee, I overfilled the water bath in a heavy hotel pan and flooded several of the little custards upon removing them from the oven. Had I been in the kitchen at Villa Piacere, I'm certain I would have dropped with whole pan from chef yelling at me. Thick skin, eh? The abundance of vanilla beans and the double sugar layer make this creme brulee absolutely perfect. Your and SK's collaborations are fun and inspiring. Beautiful, Alanna!
Katrina says
This looks so wonderfully perfect. That cracked top makes me swoon!
Liren says
I'll always have a special place in my heart (and tummy) for creme brûlée. The video is perfect, well done you guys!
Heather (Delicious Not Gorgeous) says
i was floored from the first picture- perfectly creamy and silky custard, and that brulee job, wow! the video was amazing, too (i never expect to see one on a blog, so it's a nice surprise).
tieghan says
This looks AMAZING!! Love the video and yes to anything vanilla bean! :)
Alana says
This video is everything. LOVE this collaboration!! And there's nothing better than cracking into that perfect thick crust!!
todd wagner says
No disrespect to any of your other videos (including the trio of floats, hehe) but this one is GORGEOUS!! That bubbly sugar crust...my word :o
Chelsea | Whole Bite Blog says
These photos are so mouthwatering. I just want to take my spoon and crack that beautiful, golden sugar topping. Now I'm majorly craving creme brulee :) Beautiful post!
Claudia | The Brick Kitchen says
Such gorgeous creme brûlée! I definitely agree with you on the vanilla bean though - I love the little black specks! And great tips too - I never thought about sprinkling and torching it twice for maximum crust. Love the video!! <3
Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps says
I have been craving creme brûlée for the past week, so this couldn't come at a better time. So beautiful, and I adore the video.
Carla (@charliesue) says
I'm having flashbacks. IN A GOOD WAY. COME TO ME, CREME BRULEE!!
Jenn | FOODESS says
Crème brûlée is my favourite! Yours looks perfect. And I love Rodelle.
ellie | fit for the soul says
I want to learn you from you girls how to make such gorgeous videos!!! Waahh...And these. These are purely gorgeous and so creamy! I loved reading about your boss, ahaha. I've had oooonee too many people like that in my life trying to teach me stuff, or should I say "teach". :P
Gaby Dalkin says
the video is so lovely! beautiful photos, as always. feeling inspired to give this recipe a whirl!
Ksenia says
The link doesn't work :( Is there any other way to see the recipe?
Alanna says
Hm, it's working for me! http://rodellekitchen.com/our-recipes/rodelle-vanilla-bean-crme-brle