This recipe for crème brûlée is a new take on the classic French dessert by adding essence of bitter almond. This gives an extra level of flavour but you can leave it out and follow the recipe to make a tradition dessert.
SERVES 8
Preparation: 20 minutes
Chilling: 1 hour
Cooking: 55 minutes
INGREDIENTS
10 egg yolks
Generous 1 cup (225 g) granulated sugar
2 cups (500 ml) milk
2 cups (500 ml) whipping cream, min. 35% fat
1 vanilla bean
A few drops of bitter almond extract
A little brown sugar, for caramelizing
METHOD
In a round-bottomed mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together energetically until the mixture thickens and becomes pale. Pour in the milk and whipping cream. Whisk together and add the seeds from the vanilla bean. Flavor with the bitter almond extract.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill for about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 200°F (100°C).
Strain the liquid through a chinois and pour it into eight small crème brûlée dishes or ramekins. Bake for 45–50 minutes. Test for doneness: the tip of a knife should come out clean.
Allow the crèmes to cool. Just before serving them, set your oven to broil. Sprinkle the top of each one with brown sugar. Caramelize them briefly in the oven, or use a caramelizing iron, and serve.
Book jacket photo
Extracted from The Complete Book of French Cooking by Hubert Delorme and Vincent Boué (Flammarion, 2023).
Photo credit: © Clay McLachlan
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