Best Creme BrÛlÉe By Alton Brown Recipes

CREME BRûLéE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325ºF.
• Combine the cream, vanilla bean pod and its pulp in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover, and allow to steep for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean pod and reserve for another use, such as making vanilla sugar.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the vanilla sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream, a little at a time, stirring constantly.
• Pour the liquid into 6 (7- to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins in a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brûlée is set, but still trembling in the center, 40 to 45 minutes.
• Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. Remove the creme brûlée from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to serving. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brûlée to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Pour the cream into a saucepan over medium-low heat. Scrape the vanilla caviar from the vanilla bean and add it to the cream (or add the vanilla extract if using instead). Bring almost to the boil, and then turn off the heat.
• Place the egg yolks in a large bowl and add 3/4 cup sugar. With a whisk, mix the eggs and sugar together. Now, break out your elbow grease and take a deep breath. You're going to need to whisk the mixture like crazy for 3 or 4 minutes, until it's very light yellow in color.
• Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Pour the hot cream into the bowl through the strainer.
• To temper the egg mixture, very slowly drizzle 1 cup of the hot cream into the egg/sugar mixture, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from cooking. Continue adding the rest of the hot cream to the bowl very slowly, whisking constantly. You can add the cream a little more rapidly as the mixture warms.
• Place ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet and ladle in the custard until the ramekins are three-quarters full.
• Place the baking sheet inside the oven, and then pour water into the baking sheet until it reaches two-thirds of the way up the ramekins.
• Bake until the custard is set but not brown, 35 to 40 minutes, watching carefully to avoid browning.
• Remove the ramekins and allow to cool. Refrigerate the custards, covered, for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• When you are ready to serve the dessert, sprinkle the top of each custard generously with superfine sugar. Use a kitchen torch to burn the sugar to a crisp, working quickly to avoid cooking the custard below. (You may also place the ramekins on a pan and put them right under the broiler, but you have to be careful not to affect the custard below.)
• Serve immediately with spoons.

INSTANT POT CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise using a paring knife, then use the back of the knife to scrape out the seeds. Reserving the pod, put the seeds and cream into a small saucepan. Whisk to combine, then set over medium heat and cook until tiny bubbles just start to form around the edges, about 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Pour the mixture into a medium bowl and allow to cool for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the reserved vanilla-bean pod and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a small bowl. Use your fingers to rub the pod and sugar together to remove the residual vanilla seeds and distribute them evenly throughout the sugar. Set the vanilla sugar aside.
• Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar and the salt into the cream mixture until combined and the mixture is completely cool. Whisk in the egg yolks until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve set over a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. This will help achieve a silky smooth result.
• Divide the mixture among four 4-ounce heat-proof ramekins (each about 3 inches in diameter) and cover the tops tightly with foil.
• Pour 1 cup water in the bottom of a 6- or 8- quart Instant Pot®. Place the steamer rack in the pot and arrange the ramekins in a snug single layer on the rack. Follow the manufacturer's guide for locking the lid and preparing to cook. Set the pot to pressure cook on low for 8 minutes (see Cook's Note).
• After the pressure cook cycle is complete, follow the manufacturer's guide for natural release. After 15 minutes, being careful of any remaining steam, unlock and remove the lid.
• Remove the foil from the ramekins and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Then refrigerate until completely cooled and set, at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
• When ready to serve, sprinkle the top of the desserts with the vanilla sugar (discard the vanilla-bean pod or add to more sugar for future use). Use a kitchen torch to melt the sugar and turn it a deep golden brown. (Alternately, heat the ramekins under the broiler, watching carefully.) Let sit at room temperature until the sugar has hardened, about 5 minutes.

CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Beat egg yolks, 4 tablespoons white sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until thick and creamy.
• Pour cream into a saucepan and stir over low heat until it almost comes to boil. Remove the cream from heat immediately. Stir cream into the egg yolk mixture; beat until combined.
• Pour cream mixture into the top pan of a double boiler. Stir over simmering water until mixture lightly coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Remove mixture from heat immediately and pour into a shallow heat-proof dish.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat oven to broil.
• In a small bowl combine remaining 2 tablespoons white sugar and brown sugar. Sift this mixture evenly over custard. Place dish under broiler until sugar melts, about 2 minutes. Watch carefully so as not to burn.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate until custard is set again.

CREME BRULEE BY ALTON BROWN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325*F.
• Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
• Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.
• My Notes: Would recommend waiting overnight to eat. Consistency was firmer. I used regular sugar for the main recipe, and turbinado for the glaze. Made it in coffee mugs and topped with berries in vanilla sugar.
• I've made this recipe for my family twice now and it has been a hit both times. I seem to always end up with extra, making more like 9 instead of six servings, but extras never seem to go to waste. My family later had a creme brulee at a french restraunt in Vegas and said that they were as close as you could come. I highly recommend the vanilla bean but, I don't do the vanilla sugar. I just add a tablespoon of vanilla extract to the sugar and it seems to work just fine. I would recommend this recipe to anyone. You won't regret it.

PERFECT CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Move a rack to the bottom of the oven.
• Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla together in a stainless steel bowl until smooth. Bring the cream just to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-low heat; pour into the egg yolk mixture, whisking continually until combined.
• Bring a couple of inches of water to a simmer in an oven-safe saucepan over medium low heat; set the bowl with the cream mixture over the saucepan to form a double boiler.
• Place the entire double boiler into the preheated oven; bake until the mixture sets, about 30 minutes.
• Chill in refrigerator 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source.
• Combine the brown sugar with 2 tablespoons of white sugar in a bowl; sprinkle evenly over the cold creme.
• Heat under the preheated broiler until the sugar melts and browns, 2 to 3 minutes; return immediately to the refrigerator and chill until the sugar is set, about 15 minutes.