Salted Caramel Crème Brûlée
Heavenly and incredibly creamy crème brûlée that’s been infused with the warm richness of sweet salted caramel!
Ingredients
Salted Caramel:
- ¼ cup water
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon corn syrup
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
Custard:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 5 egg yolks
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup salted caramel (from recipe above)*
- 6-7 teaspoons granulated sugar, for caramelizing
Instructions
Make the Salted Caramel:
- Pour the water into a medium saucepan. Pour the sugar into the center of the pan, making sure none of the sugar crystals hit the sides. Add the corn syrup.
- Place pan over medium heat, leaving it alone for the first 5 minutes or until it the color begins to turn yellowish. Once you see some color, gently swirl the pan around occasionally as it boils. Continue boiling until the caramel reaches a golden amber color, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove pan from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream. Caramel will sizzle and bubble up. Stir in the salt, and continue whisking until caramel is smooth. If needed, return pan over medium-low heat, stirring until caramel is smooth. Transfer to dish or glass measuring cup to cool completely. Caramel will continue to thicken as it cools.
Make the Custard:
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF. Lay a kitchen towel along the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place six 4-5 ounce ramekins on top of the towel; set aside.
- Pour the heavy cream into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until it starts to simmer. Remove from heat; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla together until thick, pale, and forms a nice ribbon when you lift the whisk from the bowl. Gradually add the salted caramel, whisking constantly as you pour.
- Gradually add the warm cream by whisking in about a half cup. Whisk in another half cup, then finally pour the rest of the cream in, stirring until smooth. Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps that might have formed.
- Divide custard evenly among the six ramekins, then set the pan on the oven rack. Carefully pour enough hot water into the pan to come about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the edges are set, and the centers jiggle when you gently shake the pan. You can also use a food thermometer to take the internal temperature. It should be 170ºF/77ºC.
- Transfer ramekins to a wire rack and allow to cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Place ramekins on a baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Just before serving, sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar evenly over each custard.** Use a small kitchen torch to caramelize the tops.
- Drizzle with remaining caramel. Add a dollop of whipped cream, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
*Store-bought caramel sauce can be substituted.
**Make sure that you cover the ENTIRE surface of the custard with sugar. Otherwise, the direct heat will curdle any custard that’s exposed.
**BROILER METHOD: If you don’t have a kitchen torch, you can always use the broiler. After sprinkling the custards with sugar, just place them on a baking sheet on an oven rack directly under the broiler. Broil on high until caramelized, and keep a CLOSE eye on it.