Crème Brûlée for Two

A perfectly portioned recipe to make two crème brûlées.

Creamy custard with a perfectly crunchy caramelized sugar topping.

Just the Recipe | 2 Crème Brûlées

300° | 2 Ramekins

Ingredients

⅔ cup Heavy Cream

2 TBS Sugar

2 Egg Yolks

¼ tsp Vanilla Extract

1 TBS Irish Cream liqueur

Coarse Sugar

Steps

Preheat the oven to 300°
Make the bain marie (water bath to bake a custard):
- Place 2 ramekins in a small roasting pan, deep enough that you’ll be able to add hot water to the pan and it will come ½ way up the ramekins. You may want to place a folded strip of parchment or foil under each ramekin (ends sticking out of the water) so you can easily lift out the ramekins later.
- Set a tea kettle full of water to boil, heat and then set aside.
Make the custard:
- In a small saucepan, over medium heat, heat the cream. Cook until very hot but not boiling.
- In a separate, heat proof bowl whisk the egg yolks and 2 TBS sugar.
- Slowly add the hot cream to the eggs and sugar, whisking it in a couple tablespoons at a time until incorporated. (Be careful to add the first half slowly or you will curdle the eggs).
- Once incorporated, add the vanilla and Irish Cream liqueur and stir to combine.
Dish and bake:
- Divide the custard between the two ramekins.
- Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water from the tea kettle until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Carefully transfer the bain marie to the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes until the custard has set and giggles just slightly in the middle.
Remove from the oven and using hot pads, carefully remove the ramekins to cool on a wire rack. After about an hour, cover and refrigerate until cold. The custard can remain refrigerated until ready to serve and will keep for several days.
Caramelize the sugar topping:
- When ready to enjoy, unwrap and sprinkle 1-2 tsp of coarse sugar on top of the custard and shake gently to distribute evenly. Using a small hand torch, melt the sugar by quickly moving the flame over the top of the custard until it turns slightly brown.
- Alternatively, brown underneath a broiler. This may take 5-10 minutes. Rotate occasionally so they brown evenly, watching carefully that the sugar doesn’t burn.

Will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Enjoy!

Kitchen Acumen Tips:

This recipe makes two perfect little crème brûlées. Feel free to double or triple for four or six servings.
Crème Brûlée is a versatile dessert and can be made any time of the year and tailored to the flavors of the season. Here are some flavor ideas to inspire you:
- London Fog. Steep the warm cream with two Earl Grey tea bags for five minutes before continuing with the recipe.
- Pumpkin Pie. Add 1 TBS of pumpkin puree and 3/4 tsp of pie spice to the custard mix.
- Peaches & Cream. Top the cooked custard with thinly sliced peaches. Add the sugar immediately before caramelizing.