3-Ingredient Crème Brûlée (Print)

Elegant French dessert featuring creamy custard topped with caramelized sugar crust, made simply with few ingredients.

# Ingredients:

→ Custard

01 - 2 cups heavy cream
02 - 4 large egg yolks
03 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar

→ Topping

04 - 4 tablespoons granulated sugar

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 325°F.
02 - Warm the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming but not boiling.
03 - Whisk together the egg yolks and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a bowl until pale and slightly thickened.
04 - Slowly pour the warm cream into the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly to avoid curdling.
05 - Strain the custard through a fine sieve into a large bowl for a smooth texture.
06 - Distribute the custard evenly into four 6-ounce ramekins.
07 - Place ramekins in a deep baking dish and pour hot water halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
08 - Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until custards are set but slightly wobbly in the center.
09 - Remove ramekins from water bath, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
10 - Sprinkle 1 tablespoon granulated sugar evenly over each custard before serving.
11 - Caramelize the sugar with a kitchen torch until golden and crisp; let stand 1 to 2 minutes to harden.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Three ingredients mean no pantry treasure hunt, just pure, elegant dessert that tastes like you've been cooking French food for years.
  • The contrast between crisp, crackle-under-your-teeth caramel and cool, velvety custard is genuinely addictive.
  • Impressive enough to serve at dinner parties but simple enough that you'll make it on random Tuesdays just for yourself.
02 -
  • The moment you think the custard is done, it probably has 30 more seconds to go—that center wobble is your north star; overcooked crème brûlée becomes grainy and sad, but a hair underdone stays silky and forgiving.
  • Never skip the fine sieve strain; I learned this the expensive way by serving gritty custard to guests and realizing that one extra minute of pushing through a sieve could have saved the whole effort.
03 -
  • Make these the day before serving if your schedule allows; the flavors develop and settle, and you'll have one less thing to think about at dinner time.
  • Room-temperature ramekins prevent temperature shock; pull them from the cabinet 10 minutes before pouring in the custard, and the whole process feels less like a gamble and more like second nature.
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