A creamy and luxurious cinnamon-infused creme brulee recipe that will blow your mind!
Preparation:
Cook:
Level: Intermediate
Ingredients
- 1 stick Cinnamon
- ½ cups Milk
- 1-½ cup Cream
- 1 whole Vanilla pod, split in half lengthwise, seeds scraped out (do not discard pod)
- 115 grams Caster sugar, plus more to sprinkle on top to caramelize
- 8 whole Egg yolks
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Leave a deep roasting pan or baking sheet in the oven to preheat.
Break the cinnamon stick in half, then put it in a saucepan with the milk, cream, vanilla seeds and pod. Put the cream mixture over high heat and scald it (i.e. turn off the heat as soon as the mixture begins to boil). Leave to stand for about 10 minutes to let the cinnamon and vanilla infuse the cream.
Meanwhile, whisk the sugar and egg yolks in a large bowl until the mixture becomes nice and pale.
Remove the cinnamon stick from the cream with a pair of tongs or a slotted spoon. Slowly pour the cream into the bowl along with the sugar and egg mixture while whisking at the same time (be sure to add the hot cream slowly).
Place a strainer over a measuring cup, then strain the custard mixture into the measuring cup (try using your spoon or spatula to push those vanilla seeds out of the pod through the strainer to get as much flavor as possible ).
Fill a kettle to capacity with water, then start boiling. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, lay a towel flat inside the baking sheet. Place the ramekins on the surface of the kitchen towel. Evenly fill the ramekins with the pastry cream mixture. Pour boiling water from the kettle into the tray until it reaches 3/4 of the way out of the ramekins (watch the video in the post if you’re confused).
Cover the tray with aluminum foil, then place very carefully in the preheated oven. Cook for 30 minutes.
Again, be sure to be very careful when removing the tray from the oven. Put the ramekins in the refrigerator and leave them for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Before flambéing the creme brulee, I like to leave them out of the fridge for about 10 minutes until they come to room temperature. Garnish the custard in the ramekins with a layer of sugar (enough to coat the surface). Use a torch to caramelize the sugar. Do not place the flame too close to the sugar, otherwise it will burn too much. Let sit for a minute for the caramelized sugar to harden, then serve.
Note: It is best if the crème brûlée rests in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours after cooking. Prepare the recipe in advance.