I have had creme brulee in restaurants where the vanilla seeds are suspended in the custard. but when I do it they always settle.

You do not really ever stop the seeds from settling, you can stir it as you pour the custard in the ramekins, but inevitably many of seeds will still settle to the bottom.

Honestly though, this is a good thing, the seeds are the evidence and prize that you used the real thing (a real vanilla pod as apposed to vanilla extract. So I say, let the seeds settle and enjoy!

My daughter (age 11) made this for Thanksgiving. We live in Switzerland just near the border of France, and celebrated it with American and French friends in France. Patrice, a semi professional baker, started the clapping. Then everyone joined in the ovation. It was fabulous - the recipe, the flavor, and the accolades for my daughter (who at this point wants to be a pastry chef). Thanks for a great recipe/tutorial.

Do we have a 3 star michelin chef in the making?

Happy it turned out great, especially considering this is a tricky dish to get right. :-)

Thanks for this great recipe. Creme Brulee has always been my favourite dessert and I've never made it till now. This has been said many times before, but it is beyond valuable to be able to compare what is in front of you in the kitchen to what Dawn is doing in the video. Being able to judge 'done-ness' makes things so much better.

I made this for the first time yesterday and it turned out quite nicely. A couple of notes/comments/questions:

- I found the orange to be a bit too over-powering (great flavour, just masked the vanilla), so I'll cut back on that next time.

- I saw the comments re: covering while chilling. I covered mine and found that I had a hard time getting a nice crust to form when torching. I imagine it was the condensation on top that was making the sugar too wet. I really want that nice dark, even, 'restaurant' shell on top.

- What would be the best way to make a chocolate creme brulee? Add some cocoa to the cream? Melted chocolate?

I'm excited about some more dessert/pasty lessons coming online.

Thanks to all!

Great to hear Mike, thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts and feedback. As for making chocolate creme brulee...well I am a purist when it comes to making creme brulee, so I have never made chocolate before. If I want chocolate, I would make pudding or maybe something else, but to me creme brulee is vanilla custard.

Of course this is just my opinion and I imagine a chocolate version would taste delicious. I found this recipe, which looks good, from Dark Chocolate Creme Brulee for Epicurious.

Please let me know how it turns out...now I am curious :-)

I am so excited! I just got my ramekins out of the oven...the custard looks exquisite! I am VERY anxious for them to cool so I can get this 4 hours over and done with! I am so excited to taste my first homemade Creme Brulee!!! I have one question though...I used a glass casserole to bake them in and while I was putting the ramekins into the casserole I noticed that the edges curve in a bit around the outside which give a slight slant to the ramekins at the outside of the casserole. Must I use a glass casserole or would my new flat-bottomed roasting pan work just as well? Thank you!! I can't wait to use my kitchen torch!!!! What a wonderful Christmas gift!! :D

Any oven-proof casserole (or any other pan) dish will work fine. You are correct that the flatter it is the better; however if the one you used didn't cause the creme brulee to cook on a slant then that is fine as well. We only used a glass casserole dish in the video so that people could see.

Hope this answers your question - good luck and happy first time.

I made this the other night. The recipe is sooo quick and easy.

One thing, however, they say is an option is the orange zest. My recommendation: USE IT. It adds so much more of a complex flavor that you'll love it. Also, if you are a huge fan of vanilla like I am, use a dab of extract to compliment the seeds from the bean.

Some were difficult in setting. Please note that if you think it doesn't look set and you think it'll set in the fridge, DON'T COUNT ON IT. Make sure you get it to set before it comes out of the oven. Just take out the ones that have set aka the even jiggle.

until next recipe !!

Have fun !!

I made this for the first time ever last night for my wife and she said it was absolutely perfect. I wouldn't have tried it if it was not for the confidence I had after watching the video.

Even though it took mine 35 minutes to cook vs. the 25 listed, I never worried thanks to the visual cues provided in the video about the "wiggle" of the custard. I knew I was on track.

Someone asked about torches. I used a MAPP gas torch and it worked great. It's the one in the hardware store in the yellow canister next to the blue propane ones. It burns about 1400f hotter the propane and made quick work of the sugar.

I have the torch for lighting lump charcoal for grilling. It's the fastest way to get it lit and doesn't include any smelly chemical odors like lighter fluid.

I just used 6 egg whites for a different recipe and my father in law is coming into town a couple weekends from now. I immediately put the yokes in a container and refrigerated them (this is a day ago). Can I freeze them to use when I make the creme brulee or should I just cut my losses and use new?
Thanks!!

Pastry shops and professional kitchens usually have an excess of whites or yolks and never throw out the excess. It is ok to keep cracked eggs in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and then use them, but only if they are going to be cooked through.

It is fine to freeze egg whites or egg yolks. Simply thaw them in the refrigerator. Once thawed, use immediately. Again, these eggs should only be used in products where they will be cooked. Hope this helps!

Hi: I was looking into a torch for this dessert and came across this:

The thing you do NOT want (and probably won't get if you don't go looking for
it) is MAPP gas, which is propane with rocket fuel added to it, burns at an
extremely high temperature, stinks real bad, is probably very bad for you, and
always comes in a yellow canister. It's also about 4x more expensive than propane
and has the word MAPP prominently on its label, so it's hard to go wrong.

If this is correct, I wouldn't think it's a very good idea for the home cook. Do you have an opinion on this? It was mentioned by Chris G.

Thanks.

I have also heard that the MAPP gas is not the one you want to use, but I am not an expert when it comes to this stuff. I use a propane torch from Benzomatic.

Perhaps there is someone else that has an opinion here, but for now Judi I would stick with the propane canister. Cheers!

What about use Grand Manier or Controy instead of orange zest? Do the alchohol has any adverse effect? Do I need to consider something during preparation?

You can use either of these instead of the orange zest. You can also leave the zest in if you like.

No special changes or adjustments during preparation. I would suggest only using about a tablespoon or so of either liqueurs; just enough to lightly flavor the cream. Cheers!

I was wondering if using the broiler if a toaster oven would work instead of a torch?
Thanks
~Christine

A propane torch is ideal for caramelizing the sugar on top of the custard. You can control the heat and spread it around the surface to quickly caramelize the sugar. They are quite inexpensive and worth the few dollars to ensure success.

Do not use a toaster oven - they are usually not hot enough. You will run the risk of melting the custard before the sugar on top becomes caramelized and wind up ruining your dessert. You can try the broiler in your oven, but make sure it is very very hot. Some home broilers just can't get hot enough. Again, you may run the risk of the custard melting before the sugar is caramelized. I don't think it's worth it - sometimes certain tools are required for the best results. Cheers!

This recipe and video is incredible. I have just eaten ny fourth batch and have a few comments. I'd appreciate any reactions. First and every time, I have used Triple Sec for the orange flavor. After the vanilla bean in the first batch, I have been cheating and using a half teaspoon of pure vanilla extract which has eliminated the straining and making this very easy to prepare. I found in the first two batches, 20 minutes produced a very firm custard which was creamy but not the velvety smooth texture of good restaurant creme brulee. So, I reduced the cooking time to 18 minutes and allowed the ramakins to remain in the hot water for an additional minute outside the oven - and it turns out perfect.

After chilling, I found just before torching, that if I dip my finger in water an lightly coat the surface of the creme brulee, I can add the sugar, swirl it around then dump the excess while a perfect amount of sugar sticks to the wet surface for immediate torching.

So that's my two bits - any comments would be welcome. What an incredible recipe.

Hi John,

It doesn't sound like you cheated at all! It sounds like you are using your intuition and common sense to guide you and find what works for you.

All ovens are different, so your adjustments with cooking time have proven to work. As far as the substitutions go, it's all about experimenting and trying different things. Glad that you didn't make the flavors too crazy though - sometimes people get carried away with changing a classic way too much.

Overall, nice job! Glad to hear you are having great success in the kitchen. Happy Cooking!

Hi,
I was just wondering if vanilla bean made that much of a difference.
Thanks.

I may be wrong but bean vs extract sure didn't make much difference to me and the extract was much easier to use. This recipe turns out perfectly every time.

I think this may just be one of those ingredients that comes down to personal preference. I use both depending on my mood and what I am making. Cheers!

i made this and is wonderfull!!now can i put some syrup to the top to give the brule another contrast it will be ok or it will destroy it??!!!

You could give it a try but I cannot say it would work. That's the fun of cooking we are all free to experiment - sometimes you end up with a winner, sometimes you end up with a loser - but either way you always learn something. Cheers!