Blueberry creme brulee has a secret surprise, a layer of blueberry jam hidden under the crunchy sugar and rich creamy custard.
The layer of blueberry jam adds a nice tart contrast to the sweet cream and crunchy burnt sugar.
Creme brulee is one of my all-time favorite desserts.
It is a classic French dessert and tastes so fancy and decadent but is so easy to make. In fact, I wrote an entire guide on how to make the perfect creme brulee.
If you love creme brulee and chocolate you will also want to check out my recipes for Nutella creme brulee, peach creme brulee, rhubarb creme brulee, mango creme brulee, or sweet corn creme brulee.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- It may seem fancy but creme brulee is actually very easy to make. It uses simple ingredients and just a little technique. It really is my favorite dessert.
- Fresh blueberry jam covered with rich and silky custard topped with a crunchy caramelized sugar crust makes the perfect date night dessert.
Ingredients
Because there are so few ingredients, now is the time to spring for the best quality ingredients you can afford.
Blueberry Jam: Try my recipe for small batch blueberry jam. It makes just one 4oz quarter pint. You can also use your favorite store-bought blueberry jam.
Heavy Whipping Cream: Some recipes use a combination of both heavy whipping cream and whole milk to make the custard lighter. In my opinion, creme brûlée is meant to be rich so this recipe uses only heavy whipping cream.
If you want to substitute milk for some of the heavy whipping cream, I would stick with a 1:1 ratio. Use one cup of heavy whipping cream and one cup of milk.
Room Temperature Egg Yolks: For creme brûlée you want to use just the egg yolks. Egg whites would set too firmly giving the creme brûlée a rubbery texture.
If you have never separated eggs before, check out this post from Sugar Hero where she shares four methods for separating eggs.
Save the egg whites for another recipe. My favorite way to use egg whites is in this Angel Food Cake from Alton Brown.
Granulated White Sugar: Use the sugar to sweeten the custard as well as for creating the crispy brulee topping.
Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla extract not imitation vanilla. It may be a little more expensive but the flavor is so much better.
Kosher Salt: As always salt is included to enhance the flavor of the other ingredients.
Equipment
Creme brûlée does require a couple of pieces of specialized equipment.
Fine Mesh Strainer: Straining the custard removes any eggy bits and creates a smooth texture.
Large Measuring Cup: I like to strain my custard into a large measuring cup to make pouring the custard into the ramekins easier. If you are planning to wait to bake your creme brûlée, you can use this large glass measuring cup that comes with a lid for easy storage.
Ramekins: These wide shallow ramekins work best. Deeper ramekins take longer to bake, allowing the edges to overcook before the center has set.
The wider ramekins also allow for a higher ratio of crunchy sugar crust to creamy custard.
Cake Pan or Roasting Pan: Like most cheesecakes creme brûlée is baked in a bain-marie or water bath. Surrounding the creme brûlées with water allows them to cook gently and will help keep them from cracking.
Kitchen Torch: Butane torches have a number of uses in the kitchen. They can char peppers, toast meringue, melt cheese, and brown bread crumbs. The kitchen torches from EurKitchen and Sondiko have consistently rated high on top kitchen torch lists.
A few months ago my brûlée torch died. So I used my boyfriend's propane torch that has a detachable torch head instead. Those were the fastest brûlées I have ever made.
Directions
Prepare the oven. Move an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 325ºF.
Heat the cream. In a medium saucepan heat the cream over medium heat until it begins to simmer. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and salt together. In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and salt until smooth and the egg yolks start to lighten in color.
Temper the eggs with the cream. When adding the hot cream to the egg yolk mixture, you need to do so slowly to prevent the eggs from curdling. This is called tempering.
To do this, continuously whisk the egg mixture while you slowly pour in the warm cream mixture. If the mixture starts to look like scrambled eggs, the hot cream has started to cook the eggs. Unfortunately, you will need to start over.
For more information about tempering eggs and why it is necessary for some recipes, watch this video from Serious Eats.
Strain the custard. I like to strain my custard mixture into a large measuring cup to make pouring the custard into the ramekins easier. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large measuring cup and carefully pour the custard through. Straining the custard removes any eggy bits and creates a smooth texture.
For perfectly smooth custard use a spoon to skim off any foam.
Quick Tip: Immediately rinse the strainer with cold water to remove any egg particles before they become stuck.
Cook the custard. Creme brulee needs to cook slowly and gently. This is why we will use a bain-marie or water bath.
The size of pan you use will depend upon the size of ramekins you have. I have used cake pans, roasting pans, and jelly roll pans. No need to purchase a special pan just use whatever you already own.
Lay a clean kitchen towel across the bottom of the pan and place ramekins on top. The towel will keep the ramekins from sliding around.
Spread one tablespoon of blueberry jam on the bottom of each ramekin.
Pour the custard into the ramekins. If you want perfectly smooth creme brulee, use a spoon to skim off any bubbles from the top, or don't worry about it any imperfections will be covered by the burnt sugar crust.
Place the pan in the preheated oven and then pour water into the pan being careful to not splash water into the ramekins. The water should come about halfway up the ramekins.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the edges are set but the centers are still slightly jiggly. The baking time will vary widely depending upon the size and shape of your ramekins.
You can also check the internal temperature of the custard using an instant-read thermometer. Once the custard has reached 170 degrees Farenheight it is time to remove the creme brulee from the oven.
Cool the custard. Remove the baking dish from the oven and allow the custards to cool for approximately 15 minutes until you can safely pick up the ramekins and remove them from the water. Allow the custards to cool on a wire rack for an additional 15 minutes.
Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and chill them in the refrigerator for at least four hours and up to four days.
Brûlée the sugar topping. Remove the custards from the refrigerator and evenly sprinkle each custard with a small amount of granulated sugar.
Ignite your blow torch and hold the flame about 4 inches from the surface of the custard. Using a circular motion heat the sugar until it browns and forms a crust.
If you want a really thick crust sprinkle a second teaspoon of sugar evenly across each custard and brûlée a second time.
The longer you brulee the sugar, the darker, more caramelized, and bitter it will become. The bitterness contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the custard.
Garnish with fresh blueberries.
Variations
- Try different varieties of jams like raspberry, strawberry, and cherry to change the flavor of this creme brulee.
Storage
Wrap leftover creme brulees with plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Remember to wait to top with and brulee the sugar until just before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a couple of points in the creme brulee-making process that it may curdle.
The first is when you are tempering the eggs. If the cream is too hot or you add it too quickly the eggs will begin to cook and curdle.
Cooking the custards without using a hot water bath will allow them to heat up more quickly a potentially overcook curdling the eggs.
Cooking them in the oven for too long will also cause them to overcook and become rubbery.
Creme brulee is properly cooked when the edges are just set and the centers still have a slight wobble. The color should be smooth and glossy without any brown spots.
You can also check the internal temperature of the custard using an instant-read thermometer. Once the custard has reached 170 degrees Farenheight it is time to remove the creme brulee from the oven.
Yes. Uncooked custard can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It can either be stored all together in a storage container like this lidded measuring cup or you can divide it into individual ramekins and cover them with plastic wrap.
You can also cover the cooked and cooled creme brulees with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for up to 4 days. Wait to brulee the sugar until just before serving.
If you don't have a kitchen torch you can still make creme brulee. You have a few options for bruleeing the sugar.
Stick Lighter: A lighter can be used to melt the sugar but it will take a really long time.
Heated Spoon: Carefully heat an old spoon (it will discolor) in the flame of your stove until it turns red. Remove the spoon from the flame and immediately place it on top of the creme brulee to caramelize the sugar. Repeat the process until all of the sugar has been caramelized.
Broiler: You can also caramelize the sugar under a broiler. Move the oven rack to the top position and place the ramekins in the oven. turn on the broiler and closely monitor to avoid burning the sugar.
This can be tricky because you want the sugar to caramelize without heating the custard. Alton Brown suggests putting the ramekins in a cold oven, then turning on the broiler to help keep the custard cool while getting the top crisp.
Tips
- Be careful to not overheat the cream. Bring it just to a simmer, not necessarily a full boil.
- Slowly pour the hot cream into the egg and sugar mixture while whisking constantly. Adding the cream too quickly will cause the eggs to curdle turning them into scrambled eggs.
- Use a water bath when baking the creme mixture. The water helps to insulate the custard to prevent the outside from cooking too quickly before the centers have had time to set.
- Chill for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator before serving. Creme brulee is meant to be served chilled with a warm topping.
- Serve immediately after caramalizing the sugar. If allowed to sit the sugar topping will become soggy instead of crunchy.
📖 Recipe
Rich and Creamy Blueberry Creme Brulee
Blueberry creme brulee has a secret surprise, a layer of blueberry jam hidden under the crunchy sugar and rich creamy custard.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (454 g) heavy whipping cream
- 3 egg yolks
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons blueberry jam
Instructions
- Prepare the oven. Move an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 325ºF.
- Heat the cream. In a medium-sized saucepan heat the cream over medium-high heat until it begins to simmer. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and salt together. In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and salt until smooth and the egg yolks start to lighten in color.
- Temper the eggs with the cream. Continuously whisk the yolks while you slowly pour in the warm cream.
- Strain the custard. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large measuring cup and carefully pour the custard through. For perfectly smooth custard use a spoon to skim off any foam.
- Cook the custard. Lay a towel across the bottom of a pan and arrange your ramekins on top. Spread one tablespoon of blueberry jam in the bottom of each ramekin. Carefully pour the cream mixture over the top of the jam, doing your best not to mix the jam and the cream. Place the pan in the oven and then pour hot water into the pan being careful to not splash water into the ramekins. The water should come about halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the edges are set but the centers are still slightly jiggly. The baking time will vary widely depending upon the size and shape of your ramekins.
- Cool the custard. Remove the baking pan from the oven and allow the custards to cool for approximately 15 minutes until you can safely pick up the ramekins and remove them from the water. Allow the custards to cool on the counter for an additional 15 minutes. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and chill them in the refrigerator for at least four hours and up to four days.
- Brûlée the sugar topping. Remove the custards from the refrigerator and evenly sprinkle each custard with 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar. Ignite your torch and hold the flame about 4 inches from the surface of the custard. Using a circular motion heat the sugar until it browns and forms a crust. For a thicker crust sprinkle a second teaspoon of sugar evenly across each custard and brûlée a second time.
Notes
Variations
Try different varieties of jam-like like raspberry, strawberry, and cherry to change the flavor of this creme brulee.
Can creme brûlée be made ahead?
Yes. Uncooked custard can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It can either be stored all together in a storage container like this lidded measuring cup or you can divide it into individual ramekins and cover them with plastic wrap. You can also cover the cooked and cooled creme brûlées with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for up to 4 days.
Tips
- Be careful to not overheat the cream. Bring it just to a simmer not necessarily a full boil.
- Slowly pour the hot cream into the egg and sugar mixture while whisking constantly. Adding the cream too quickly will cause the eggs to curddle turing them into scrambled eggs.
- Use a water bath when baking the creme brulees. The water helps to insulate the custard to prevent the outside from cooking too quickly before the centers have had time to set.
- Chill for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator before serving. Creme brulee is meant to be served chilled with a warm topping.
- Serve immediately after caramalizing the sugar. If allowed to sit the sugar topping will become soggy instead of crunchy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 120Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 60mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 0gSugar: 10gProtein: 2g
This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from an online calculator. Although raspberriesandkohlrabi.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
More dessert recipes
- Condensed Milk Brownies
- Fresh Apple Cake
- Amaretto Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Sourdough Chocolate Banana Bread
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