Just what is it about crème brûlée? Even the words sound unattainably fancy; the sort of dish better left to a swanky French restaurant (you know, the kind with white tablecloths and snooty mustachioed waiters). We won't lie: It's not as easy to make as no-bake drop-cookies. But once you've ID'd the most common ways to screw it up, and how to avoid them, you'll be cracking into a perfectly torched sugar crust in no time. These are the most common mistakes people make with this iconic dessert.
These ramekins are great for traditional puddings and pots de crème, but they don't have enough surface area for a crème brûlée sugar crust. Photo: Alex Lau
1. Using the Wrong Size Ramekin
Crème brûlée is traditionally baked in a wide, shallow ramekin. If you plan on making it at home, you'll need to invest in a few. The deeper 4- to 6-ounce ceramic pots used for most other puddings and pots de crème aren't an adequate substitution. Because they're deeper, the pudding takes longer to bake, meaning your crème brûlée base will be overcooked at the edges and undercooked in the center. Additionally, and most importantly, the whole point of this dessert is the expansive caramelized crust of sugar. The wide and shallow ramekin allows for optimal sugar-to-pudding radio, and a more impressive crust.
2. Using Whole Eggs
The pudding portion of crème brûlée should be trembling and tender, but still rich and creamy. That's why egg yolks, rather than whole eggs, are used, explains Rick Martinez, BA's associate food editor. Whites help set pudding, giving it a firmer texture. For this dish, use just the yolks and save the whites for another recipe, like meringue.
Water is the enemy of perfectly smooth pudding. Photo: Gentl & Hyers
3. Getting Water in the Pudding
Puddings are baked in a hot water bath to retain their silky-smooth texture (the water conducts heat, baking them more gently and evenly). But a hot water batch is a danger zone for pudding: Getting water in the mix will ruin the texture, giving it a pebbled surface and soggy interior. Avoid this problem with a tip from Martinez: wrap the bottoms and sides of your ramekins with aluminum foil that reaches up higher than the ramekin. This "fence" helps guard against any splashes as you transport the water bath. Additionally, you can wait until the ramekins are in a pan in the oven before pouring boiling water in the pan. This minimizes any potential for spilling.
4. Torching the Wrong Sugar
This is not the time for your fancy, raw and organic coconut sugar. "You really need to use white granulated sugar," says senior food editor Chris Morocco. The small granules caramelize quickly, meaning the sugar won't get overly burnt and the pudding won't melt. Also, he points out: The white crystals provide a visual cue as you're torching it. As soon as the white sugar turns a golden brown, you know you're close. The crystals of raw sugar are already brown, making it harder to know if you're overshooting the mark.
6. Trying to Broil the Caramel
Yes, you absolutely need a kitchen torch for this task. Morocco's pick is found at most hardware stores and will run you around $20. Don't even think about trying to replicate the effect under a broiler. No matter how hawk-eyed you are, it's nearly impossible to get the perfect amount of color without burning it to a crisp. Besides, points out, test kitchen contributor Lily Freedman, you'll never get as evenly cooked a crust as you will with a torch.
You're ready for this: Caramelized-Honey-Brûlée
Once you've mastered that, you can move on to brûléed eggs
