Those of you who check my blog daily know we really did not need another dessert. After making this lovely homemade, mousse filled angel food cake, though, I had 11 leftover egg yolks. What to do, what to do. I used 3 in the luscious, tangy lemon curd for my lemon trifles, but that left 8 yolks. My favorite crème brûlée recipe uses 7…done.
This is a family favorite. In fact, Bill, the picky hubby, won’t order this sweet and silky dessert with the irresistible crust of sugar at restaurants. He claims it is never as good as mine. Great endorsement, eh?
Crème Brûlée…adapted from the Le Cirque recipe
4 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, slit in half lengthwise and seeds scraped
3/4 cup sugar
7 large egg yolks
Turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
Preheat oven to 300º.
In a medium saucepan, heat cream, vanilla pod, vanilla seeds, and sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally, till bubbles form around perimeter. Do not allow to boil. Remove from heat.
Whisk eggs in large glass measuring cup (or bowl). Temper yolks by adding a small amount of hot cream to the yolks while whisking. Repeat a few more times, making sure to add the cream mixture very slowly and to keep whisking so yolks do not cook. Pour tempered yolks back into pan and whisk till smooth. Strain the mixture into large measuring cup (you may reuse the cup utilized for tempering) to remove vanilla pod, seeds and any bits of cooked yolk.
Place nine 8 ounce ramekins in roasting pan. Fill the ramekins to the top with custard. Carefully place pan in the oven, and pour enough hot water in roasting pan to come halfway up ramekins. Bake until custard is set and jiggles slightly when shaken, about 50 minutes.
Remove from water bath and let cool a half hour or so. Chill for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. Before serving, sprinkle with turbinado sugar and broil (approximately 4 inches from element) till sugar caramelizes….watch carefully as this takes less than a minute. You may also use a kitchen torch to caramelize. Place on small plate to serve.
These can also be made in shallow ramekins…baking time is decreased to about 40 minutes.
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This is a remake of a very early blog entry…where I took the lackluster photos with a flash on my kitchen counter.
{ 61 comments… read them below or add one }
Great use of those leftover egg yolks!
You never “need” creme brulee, but who can resist it. Your husband’s endorsement is the best kind. I hardly eat salads in restaurants for the same reason.
My husband is the creme brulee maker and expert in our family. Love the pretty garnishes you’ve used.
We thought it would be fun to let guests brulee their own with the torch, but soon found if they had had too much wine, it wasn’t such a good idea after all.
Sam
we love this yours looks so professinal as I knew it would! I like that you broiled it and didnt use that blow torch that scares the crap out of me some cook huh?!
What a perfect looking creme brulee! I can never get my caramel crust to brown so evenly.
Great tasty way to use up all those egg yolks! Nice, light caramelization on the top-well done.
Amazing! I never knew how to make it at home. I agree with Pegasuslegend, I would be terrified of a torch. I think Manatee would run screaming from the house…or tackle me. Not sure which would be worse.
Thanks for sharing a great way to use egg yolks!
Pouty lip. I wish you would have posted this recipe last week when I had heavy cream available. Creme Brulee is my favorite dessert to order when we go out to eat but I have never made it at home before. If Bill likes it then I know this recipe is a for sure keeper. Bookmarking this now. At least I won’t have to use up my Williams-Sonoma gift card on a blow torch with your method. Haha! Crave worhty!
I always have oodles of leftover egg yolks, and creme brulee is one of the best uses for them. Delish.
ButterYum
“we really did not need another dessert”. I strongly disagree:) Great even brulee.
What lovely cream brulée I adore!! xxgloria
It is a fantastic recipe and the ramekins look delicious. Thank you for letting me know about Becky. I had not heard but thought something had happened when her blog was not updated. Have a good day. Blessings…Mary
The last time I made creme brulee it wasn’t the best. It is my husbands all time favorite dessert. Our 10 year anniversary is next week, and I was thinking of trying to make it again for him. I might just steal this! Just need to get vanilla beans, my lasts ones went bad
Agree with Three-Cookies..please don’t limit your desserts!!
That is a very high endorsement and sweet praise from your husband. Yours look absolutely perfect. Nice work!
Yum! I love creme brulee and this looks delicious!
i love this…This looks perfect…Thanks for the recipe dear…..
These look wonderful! These are one of my favorite desserts
My daughter’ favorite dessert – made to perfection. Saving this for her – she’ll want me to make it.
Lizzy, LOL!! My husband says the same thing about mine!!! It is our absolutely favorite dessert and so wonderful that we can make it at home! And I HAVE to eat it with fresh berries – just doesn’t taste the same without.
Yay for remakes—it’s the blogger’s perogative, and I think everybody wins. Sometimes great things get buried in the earliest days of a blog and they NEED to see the light of day again.
Now I wish I had 7 left over egg yolks
love creme brulee and so does my hubby!!! mmmmmmmmmmm!!!!
Perfect! And nothing is wrong with another dessert recipe! I love finding ways to use leftover ingredients!
What do you mean we don’t need another dessert recipe? I come here for the dessert recipes!! hahah.
Oh great idea for egg yolks! I’m on this macaron mission and feel so bad about the waste!
Perfect looking creme brulee! Yum!
I love creme brulee too… and next time I make it, it is going to be this recipe! With such an endorsement from your husband I am sure I can’t go wrong!!! (Well… with your recipes, you can nver go wrong anyway!!!)
Lizzy we always need another dessert
Creme brulee is my all time favorite & it’s funny, I won’t order it out either. I’m always disappointed when I do. I’m sure yours is fabulous!!!
Lizzy, we ALWAYS need another dessert. And since creme brulee is one of my all time favorites, we needed this one… right now
I’m sure that Bill’s right! We rarely order things in restaurants that we make at home. Desserts are wonderful – and yours are always gorgeous!
This looks gorgeous! Definitely need to try this one very soon. Looks so delicious.
That is a great endorsement and don’t you dare cut back on the desserts. The more the merrier!!!
Creme brulee is truly one of the greatest desserts of all time! Yours came out great!
Yummy! I need to give this a try….creme brulee is on of my husband’s favorite recipes!
I totally see why this is a family favorite! It looks fantastic!
Yum! I love this dessert. I agree… don’t waste those precious yolks! What a great use for them. I am buzzing and stumbling this right now. : )
this looks wonderful yummy creme brûlée
My favorite! What a perfectly made creme brulee you have there Lizzy!
That’s like the best endorsement from your hubby! He’s been eating your food for years and he knows what is “good food”! Creme brulee is my husband’s favorite dessert and he bought a kit so that I can cook for him…it’s been sitting for a few months already! =P Time to change with this recipe! But I’m always amazed by how much egg yolk or white is necessary for desserts sometimes. I guess you buy a lot of eggs haha.
Wow..what a coincidence !! I just made it last week. Who can resist this creamy yummy dessert..i just love it!!
The perfect use for all those egg yolks…and one of the best desserts around! FAB pictures – buzzed!
I need to “find” some extra yolks as this looks delicious.
Lisa~~
Cook Lisa Cook
Its my fav too Lizzy, who will not drool over this lovely dessert,that sugar crust on top is amazing to be digged into.
Hi Lizzy! I’m so glad to have found you and your lovely blog at Pola’s! Nice to know you! ;D
I’ve never try this before but it does looks great and yummy to me!
Nice! I always love the desserts you make. Keep ‘em coming!
Doesn’t always make you feel great when someone would rather have your recipe than a restaurants!? I love when Dave does that with me!
You are after my heart with all of these dessert recipes and creme brulee (aside from anything chocolate) is my favorite! This looks so scrumptious!
Beautiful presentation Lizzy…love your recipe and pictures too! Now I need something sweet:))
7 egg yolks in this creme brûlée? Wow, all I can say is it’s like something out of my many fantasies about heart-stopping desserts! No pun intended here, either
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Be still my heart! I get really excited about a good crème brûlée and this definitely looks like a good one! I fully believe it’s better than one from a restaurant!
Liz! I just love that problem of flip flopping back and forth between yolks vs whites recipes! But when I have extra yolks…it’s usually a brulee. And this looks simply divine! : )
Great way to use up the egg yolks! I often go back to creme brulee too
love the browning on top! Looks really nice… Thanks for sharing your recipe 
“we did not need another dessert” ?!?! There is always room for dessert especially one like this. You can never go wrong with creme brulee!! It is the most perfect use for left over egg yolks!
You know I loooove creme brulee! This sounds fantabulous!
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You can share as many dessert recipes as you please…I will never ever say it’s too much!
Wonderful endorsement from your husband. That’s all we needed to hear
Mmm…I wish I could have some right now!
What a great way to use the leftover egg yolks! This sounds delicious and decadent!
Love when a plan comes together! *wink wink*
Or rather, when I look around at my egg yolk leftovers and remember a great recipe. These look delicious!
Great way to use up the yolks. This is one of my fave desserts to and restaurants often disappoint. Quite the compliment indeed the hubby gave you.
One of my favorites. Can’t wait to try your version
Kate@kateiscooking
We always need more desserts! Yum. And I love, love, love creme brulee. What a fantastic recipe you’ve got here.
Hi Lizzy,
This is one of my favorite desserts, it is always so light and creamy and an excellent choice. Hope you are having a great week and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Hey there Miss Lizzy, I’m so sorry that I’m late in getting this week’s Fresh Food Friday Featured Blog Posts up due to work (oh yea, I do teach business . . . marketing specifically . . . you had asked previously). Your delightfully sinful Creme Brulee was featured tonight and I know that it just has to be over the top! Great photos too! If you haven’t already done so, please stop back over and link up 2 or 3 recipes!