Creamy French Crème Brûlée Recipe Easy Homemade Dessert with Fresh Berries
A velvety, luscious French crème brûlée topped with fresh berries and a crackly caramelized sugar crust. This easy homemade dessert is perfect for entertaining and indulgent treats.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream
- 1 whole vanilla bean or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 5 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- Extra granulated sugar (2-3 tablespoons per ramekin) for caramelizing
- 1 cup (150 g) fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries)
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Set a kettle of water to boil for the water bath.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the heavy cream and the scraped vanilla bean seeds (plus the pod) over medium heat until it just begins to simmer. Do not boil. Remove from heat and let infuse for about 10 minutes.
- In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, and a pinch of salt until the mixture lightens slightly and becomes smooth.
- Slowly pour the warm cream into the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve to remove any cooked egg bits and vanilla pod.
- Divide the custard evenly into ramekins.
- Place ramekins in a baking dish and carefully pour boiling water around them until it reaches halfway up the sides.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until the custard is set but still slightly jiggly in the center.
- Remove ramekins from water bath, discard water, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Before serving, sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar evenly over each custard. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar until golden and crisp. Alternatively, broil for 1-2 minutes watching carefully.
- Top with fresh berries just before serving.
Notes
Do not overbake the custard to avoid curdling; it should be set but slightly jiggly in the center. Chill custard fully before caramelizing sugar to prevent sugar from sinking. Use a kitchen torch for best caramelization results; broiler can be used but watch closely. Avoid thermal shock to ramekins by warming gently and not plunging into cold water.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ramekin (about 6 o
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 20
- Fat: 30
- Protein: 5
Keywords: crème brûlée, French dessert, custard, caramelized sugar, fresh berries, easy dessert, homemade dessert