3-Ingredient Crème Brûlée Classic (Printer-Friendly)

Silky custard with a golden caramel crust made using only three main ingredients.

# What You Need:

→ Custard

01 - 2 cups heavy cream
02 - 4 large egg yolks
03 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar

→ Topping

04 - 4 tablespoons granulated sugar

# How to Cook:

01 - Set the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C).
02 - Warm the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to steam without boiling.
03 - Combine egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl; whisk until pale and slightly thickened.
04 - Slowly add the warm cream to the yolk mixture, whisking continuously to avoid curdling.
05 - Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a clean container for a smooth texture.
06 - Pour custard evenly into four 6-ounce ramekins.
07 - Place ramekins in a deep baking dish; add hot water until halfway up the sides of ramekins.
08 - Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until custards are set but retain slight wobble in the center.
09 - Remove ramekins from water bath, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
10 - Sprinkle 1 tablespoon granulated sugar evenly on each custard just before serving.
11 - Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar to a deep golden crust; allow to rest 1 to 2 minutes before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours in a French kitchen when really you just needed a torch and patience.
  • The ingredient list is so short you'll wonder why you ever stressed about fancy desserts.
  • Watching that sugar bloom from white to amber to dark gold under the torch never gets old.
02 -
  • Those egg yolks are not optional—they're what separate crème brûlée from pudding, and skipping them or using whole eggs will change everything about the texture.
  • The water bath is not a suggestion; it's the only reason these custards turn out creamy instead of rubbery or curdled.
  • If you don't have a kitchen torch, you can use the broiler, but watch obsessively and pull them out the moment the sugar turns amber because broilers brown much faster than torches do.
03 -
  • A kitchen torch from any hardware store costs less than dinner out and opens up this whole category of desserts—it's worth having around.
  • The difference between beautiful caramelization and burnt sugar is about 20 seconds and steady hand movement, so go slow and trust the color change to happen.
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