When to add the alcohol? The alcohol, whether it be Grand Marnier, Limoncello, or Rum, should be added at the beginning.

I sometimes add a teaspoon or so in the beginning to the cream. You could even evaporate the alcohol (by about half) in the pot, before you add the cream. If you add the alcohol at the end you will slow down the coagulation (basically it will be like adding water).

Traditionalist even say (okay, a few people here at Rouxbe) that no alcohol should be used. They say it should be served on the side in a glass with some ice. Instead add a bit of zest instead. But this is a matter of taste and tradition, so have fun and let us know how it turns out.

Good luck, hope this helps!

Just superb!

I watched that link, and yes both ways work, but the first technique (using egg shells to separate) can be very bad because its the outside of the shell that contains salmonella and there is a higher risk to getting the bacteria in the egg by separating the eggs with the shell. the bowl technique is the way to go.

Sounds like a real quick and authentic recipe. I dotn think i have ever made it at home. But love this dessert. I have also had a few different favolurs of this. Strawbeery, Choco, Coffee etc.. So i will let you know how this recipe turns out at home.

Reading the recipe, i wanted to know how long we should beat the egg and sugar mixture for and the consistency it should be. ie: double in volume? Thick? etc...

You really just need to whisk the two together. You are not looking to add any volume here. About 15 seconds is sufficient.

I have made this recipe twice! The first time , I cover the ramekins with foil before refrigerating them. When I sprinkled the sugar, some of the sugar was absorbed in the top of the cream brulee and when I torched it, I got a nice thick caramelized sugar. The second time, I did not cover the cream brulee before refrigerating!!! When I torched it, apparently the sugar was very thin and didn't absorbed into the custard and so the result was a very thin caramelized sugar crust????
Which way is best??
Thank you
Tum

Generally crème brûlée should only have a nice rather thin layer of sugar topping. It is not meant to be thick. The delicate sugar coating adds a nice gentle contrast to the soft custard beneath.

Of course, if you loved the thick coating then feel free to do it that way. But just know that the thinner coating is more classic.

Hope this helps!

Thank you !!
Should I cover the custard before refrigerating???

I would say no, as this likely caused condensation which is what made the sugar soak in more and become wet.

Comments: I've made this twice now, once w/vanilla bean seeds and once w/real vanilla extract. Right at 22 minutes, it already doesn't shake quite as much as demonstrated in the video. Not sure if water in baine marie should be near boiling or just warm to heat w/the oven.
Recommendation" EXCELLENT. Not too sweet. just right. Thank you!

The cooking time will generally vary a bit for everyone, as every oven is different. Times are usually just an approximation. When I went to culinary school all of the students (including myself) used to say "how long will it take chef...when is it done chef" and he would always say "when it's done".

Back then that seemed like not such a nice answer, but after quite a few years of cooking now, this answer seems just right. It's when you know what you are looking for that you become a bit more free of times. You know that you are looking for that particular jiggle, so when you see that it's done, no matter how long it has been.

As for the water you add to the baine marie, I usually just use very hot tap water.

Hope this helps and doesn't sound like a snooty answer as that was surely not my intention. So glad you liked the recipe, it's one of my favorites as well :-)

This is the first time I have ever made creme brulee and it turned out fantastic, thanks to the easy to follow steps and video! I was even told it tasted professional :-D

This is one of my favorite desserts!

It was the first time I've tried a Rouxbe recipe and let me say this, it was a complete success! My mom wanted to learn how to make crème brûllée so I did it in her kitchen and she said I looked like a pro!lol I must say that the only reason that happened was because of the detailed step-by-step instructions, that made all the difference! I'm now proud to say that I'm eternaly hooked to rouxbe!! :)

The texture of the cream turns out solidify. What happen? Thanks.

I am not sure exactly when you mean. Do you mean once it is cooked it was solidified? If so, it was likely just overcooked (perhaps the oven was too hot or it was left in for too long).

Yes. That's what I meant. I'll try again. Thank you.

was wondering if i can steam this directly in a steamer? without using an oven?

Yes you can, but make sure the steam is gentle and no condensation on the lid drips into the custard. You may have to keep your lid ajar, or loosely cover the custard with foil poked with a couple of holes. Steam till the middle feels just set but still a bit jiggly.

Thank you so much for this recipe. I have tried two others, one which did not include oven baking and one that did, and neither turned out as good as this one.

Do you have any thoughts on using different types of sugar for the caramellized lid?

So glad that you liked the recipe and that you had success! As for other sugars to use for creating that wonderful crunchy topping - you could use brown sugar, light brown sugar or even turbinado sugar (I quite like having turbinado sugar in my pantry, for those times when I want to add a slight twist to sweet things).

Good luck, hope this helps!

I made this one over and over.i got the recipe from here let me tell you when i make it i dont intend to share

First off, love the recipe- I really want to try a pumpkin-flavored brulee for Thanksgiving. I hear Earl Grey works well also.
Here's my issue- perhaps I'm over-whipping the mixture, but after mixing the eggs and cream, I get about an inch of foam on top. When I pour into the ramekins, about half is foam.
Should I let the mixture sit for a while? Or should I just scoop off the foam with a spoon? Or am I just whipping too much? Anyone else have this issue? Any tips?
Thanks!

Hi Jason I had the same problem before and I read a very fun way to actually fix it, use a kitchen torch !, once you pour the custard in the ramekins use the torch very quickly to blow up the bubbles it's really fun to do ;D

Thanks Khaled!
I'll give this a try tomorrow.
Cheers,
Jason

I suggest just simply straining the mixture before you pour it into the ramekins (as in step 1 of the video). I have made creme brulee hundreds of times and this seems to work every time.

Hope this helps!