Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee & BONUS Crème Brulee Ice Cream

My very first featured recipe on this blog has to be my Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee. It’s one of my favorite recipes to make and share for several reasons. First, it’s made with only 4 ingredients. Second, it’s simple and fun to make and it gives such a big sophisticated impression. Third, breaking thru the hardened caramelized sugar is so satisfying and never gets old. And lastly, this is a two for one recipe because this same recipe also makes a killer ice cream. Yes, you read that right. Crème Brulee Ice Cream! You’ve never tasted an ice cream this good.

Don’t be intermediated. You can make this at home. And it will be even better than the crème brulee you order at fancy restaurants.

Its important to use good quality fresh ingredients since this recipe is made with only 4 ingredients. Most grocery stores carry vanilla beans in jars in the spice aisle, although be prepared as a single bean can be pretty pricey ($10-15 for 1-2 beans). I have found the best deals on them on Amazon for a fraction of the cost if you plan ahead.

To start out, preheat your oven to 325F. Start a tea kettle or pot of water on the stove to boil. The hot water will be added to the water bath later on during baking. Separate the egg yolks from the whites. The discarded whites can be thrown out or saved and used in another recipe. (Or in my house to be honest, I usually cook them up as a treat for the dogs.) Next, carefully cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, and using the blade of the knife scrape out the seeds on the inside. Save the pods as they’ll add additional flavor into the custard base when its heated on the stove. Next, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl. In a saucepan add the heavy cream, vanilla bean seeds, and pods and mix together with a wooden spoon. Heat the cream mixture on medium-low until the mixture just comes to a steep (hot but not boiling) while occasionally stirring. Once the mixture is hot/scalded, pour 1/4 of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture while briskly whisking to temper the eggs. Then while continuing to whisk, slowly add in the rest of the hot cream. Once fully incorporated, strain the mixture over a bowl to remove any imperfections or eggs that may have scrambled and the pods.

To make crème brulee, pour or spoon the mixture into individual ramekins. If you don’t have ramekins, any baking safe small dish will do. I generally use four 6-ounce ramekins. Since the vanilla bean seeds like to settle at the bottom, its important to mix the hot custard before pouring into the individual ramekins to distribute the seeds evenly. Next, place the ramekins or small baking safe dishes filled with custard into a larger baking dish. Then carefully pour the boiling water from the stove into the larger baking dish until it extends half way up the sides of the ramekins. This water bath will allow the delicate crème brulee custard to cook gently and evenly. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the centers are barely set. The baked custard should still have a subtle jiggle when shaken. Allow the ramekins to cool completely before refrigerating. The crème brulee needs to be refrigerated for at least 4 hours before serving to allow it to set. It can be kept refrigerated at this stage for up to several days. When you’re ready to serve, sprinkle on ~1 teaspoon of sugar over the top of each and using a brulee torch melt the sugar. If you don’t own a brulee torch, the same effect can be created by placing the sugar dusted custards underneath the broiler for 2-5 minutes on a cookie sheet. Watch them closely so they don’t get too dark. The finished crème brulee can be served up as is, or can be toped with the addition of fruit, whip cream, or an edible flower. Although they can be refrigerated again at this stage and will still taste amazing, the caramelized sugar will loose it’s hard shell quickly. Therefore I recommend you caramelize the sugar only right before serving to preserve the satisfying hard sugar coating that crème brulee is known for.

If you instead want to make crème brulee ice cream, the process is even simpler. After the mixture is scalded and strained, it will need to be cooled down and refrigerated until cold. If I’m in a hurry I sometimes speed the cooling process by placing the mixture at this point over a bowl of ice water to cool it faster. When making ice cream, I usually double this recipe. I store the cooled custard mixture in mason jars in the fridge. Once refrigerated, pour the cooled mixture into a prepared ice cream maker. This ice cream has a velvety smooth texture and a rich custard flavor, and will have a different creamy texture when compared to it’s baked form. Although the ice cream is sinfully delicious on its own, I have discovered that adding chocolate shavings makes it even better and it gives the finished ice cream a nice subtle crunch. My personal favorite is adding shaved Dairy Milk chocolate curls since its one of my favorite milk chocolate bars. I make the curls by shaving a chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler. Add the chocolate shavings into the ice cream maker once the ice cream has thickened. Once mixed, scoop out the ice cream and put it into an airtight container and place it in the freezer to finish setting up. Once it’s fully frozen, its ready to be scooped and enjoyed.