Sweet Corn Creme Brulee

Close up of sweet corn creme brulee with bite taken out.

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5 from 1 vote

Creamy luscious Sweet Corn Creme Brulee is the perfect summer dessert and is surprisingly easy to make.

Prep Time25

Cook Time30

Additional Time4 30

Total Time5 25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 296kcal

Author: Erica Schramek

Equipment

Ingredients

1 ear of corn
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 egg yolks
½ cup granulated white sugar
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Remove the husk from the 1 ear of corn and cut the kernels off. Save the cob to simmer with the cream.
In a nonstick skillet, melt the 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and saute the corn kernels until they have a few brown specks on them. Reserve 2 tablespoons to use as a garnish.
Move an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C).
In a medium-sized saucepan heat the 2 cups heavy whipping cream, corn cob, and 2 sprigs of fresh thyme over medium-high heat until it begins to simmer. The corn cob will impart additional corn flavor to the cream. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the cream to steep for 15 minutes. Remove the corn cob and thyme and stir in the sauteed corn and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the 3 egg yolks, ½ cup granulated white sugar, and ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt until smooth and the egg yolks start to lighten in color.
Continuously whisk the yolks while you slowly pour in the warm cream.
Lay a towel across the bottom of the pan and arrange your ramekins on top. The towel will keep the ramekins from sliding around.
Pour the custard into the ramekins. Place the pan in the oven and then pour hot water into the pan, careful not to 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 depending upon the size of your ramekins.
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 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.
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.

Notes

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.

There is no need to purchase a special pan just use whatever you already own. The size of pan you use will depend on the size of the ramekins you have. I have used cake pans, roasting pans, and jelly roll pans.

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.

To avoid burning the sugar, don't hold the flame too long over any one place.

Serve immediately after caramelizing the sugar. If allowed to sit the sugar topping will become soggy instead of crunchy.

Storage: Cooked creme brulee can be covered with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Remember to wait to top with and brulee the sugar until just before serving. Otherwise, the sugar crust will become soggy.

I don't recommend freezing creme brulee. Most likely the custard will separate when it thaws.

Nutrition