We visited Aida Mollenkamp, host of Ask Aida, at home in San Francisco to learn how to make her go-to party dessert.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 25 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 15 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 vanilla bean
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 8 large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup plus 8 teaspoons superfine sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Prepare the vanilla: Halve the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a paring knife. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees.
- Infuse the cream: Bring the cream, half-and-half and vanilla seeds and pod to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer to infuse the cream with the vanilla, 10 to 15 minutes. Discard the vanilla pod. Remove the cream mixture from the heat and cool slightly. Meanwhile, bring a kettle of water to a boil.
- Make the custard.
- Whisk the egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar and the salt in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is pale yellow and thick; it should leave a trail when you lift the whisk. Pour in the cream mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Skim off any foam or bubbles from the surface.
- Pour into ramekins: Arrange eight 6-ounce ramekins in a roasting pan and divide the custard evenly among them.
- Bake in a water bath: Pull out the oven rack slightly, place the roasting pan on it and pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Bake until the custards are just set in the center, 40 to 45 minutes. Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath and transfer to the refrigerator. Chill, uncovered, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
- Prepare the topping: About 30 minutes before serving, sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over each custard. Tilt the ramekins to evenly distribute the sugar and tap out any excess.
- Caramelize the sugar: Holding a kitchen torch about three inches away, burn the sugar until it turns a deep amber. Refrigerate the creme brulees just until the crust hardens, 30 minutes to 1 hour, but not longer (the topping may start to soften). Serve cold.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 402 |
| Total Fat | 33 g |
| Saturated Fat | 20 g |
| Carbohydrates | 21 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 20 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Cholesterol | 288 mg |
| Sodium | 173 mg |
Reviews
Used to wrk. For an Italian Resterraunt in California, serving an dar tending, it was great, Deseret was cream bula’a was great.!
Fabulous recipe, I love creme brulee but I’m giving this recipe only 4 stars instead of 5 because I had to tweek it, after my tweeks it’s a 5 star!! This recipe needed more vanilla, more sugar and a strainer. I added 1 tablespoon of vanilla paste (or vanilla extract) with the 1 vanilla bean in the cream mixture. I strained the creme mixture before adding it, I used vanilla sugar and I used 2/3 cup instead of a half and I used 10 egg yokes instead of 8. After all my tweeks it’s now 5 stars! Also cook for 50 min and allow to cool before you refrigerate, hope this helps anyone who has cooked it or wants but thinks it needs a little help.
I saw this recipe in an old magazine and decided to give it a try for valentines day. I thought the flavor was OK. It could have used a little more vanilla. I read a different recipe that called for vanilla sugar in addition to the vanilla bean. Perhaps next time I will try that.
But what I really didn’t like was that the cooking time was not at all accurate. After 45 min, I took it out of the oven and it was still watery. I put it in the fridge overnight and it still never set up properly. After poking around and looking at some similar recipes and their reviews, I found this to be a common complaint. In reality, these probably needed to be either cooked in a double boiler beforehand, or cooked for 65 min.
But what I really didn’t like was that the cooking time was not at all accurate. After 45 min, I took it out of the oven and it was still watery. I put it in the fridge overnight and it still never set up properly. After poking around and looking at some similar recipes and their reviews, I found this to be a common complaint. In reality, these probably needed to be either cooked in a double boiler beforehand, or cooked for 65 min.
Easy and comes out beautifully. Add a few fresh raspberries or strawberries and a mint leaf or two and you have a restaurant level dessert. I always have to make a double batch – my husband LOVES this.
This recipe was extremely easy and it came out beautifully. The flavor was rich and sweet, but not too sweet and the texture was creamy. I used the broiler of my oven set on high for just a few minutes to make the crust because I didn’t have a torch and it worked wonderfully. This will definitely be a staple dessert in our house from now on. And think how impressed your guests will be when you tell them you’re serving creme brulee!