How To Make Chef Romain Avril’s Crème Brûlée

Happy weekend! These days, getting through another week is something to celebrate and nothing is more celebratory than a delicious and luscious crème brûlée recipe. Made by French Chef Romain Avril, it doesn’t get more authentic than this. Chef says, “This amazingly simple dessert reminds me of my childhood in France, every time we would go eat at a brasserie, my mother would order this exquisite dessert.” Crème Brûlée is a very simple dessert but it’s also very technical. It takes some time to make it perfectly but when you do, it’s so worth it. Plus, you can even watch him make it himself in the video below.

See also: How To Make Chef Romain Avril’s Cornbread Two Ways

Here’s how to make his authentic French Crème Brûlée recipe!

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 3 cups high-quality heavy cream (35%)
• 1 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp vanilla extract per bean)
• ½ cup caster sugar plus some for “bruléing”
• 4 large eggs (organic and free-range)
• 2 quarts hot water

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 325℉.  
2. 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. 
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2/3 of the sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in colour. 
4. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. 
5. Pour the liquid into 4 (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. 
6. 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. 
7. Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining sugar equally among the 4 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.

Recipe: Chef Romain Avril, Photo: Tracy Benjamin via Flickr