Steven Raichlen Crème Brûlée

Steven Raichlen offers his delicious crème brûlée recipe for you to try at home!
Crème Brûlée Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ C. heavy whipping cream
  • One 2″ cinnamon stick
  • ½ vanilla bean, split (or ½ tsp. of vanilla extract)
  • 1 strip of lemon zest taken off the lemon with a vegetable peeler
  • 3 egg yolks
  • ⅓ C. of granulated sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. honey
  • 1 ½ Tsp. cornstarch
  • 4 Tbsp. turbinado sugar

Directions:

  1. Combine the cream, cinnamon, vanilla bean, and lemon zest in a heavy saucepan and simmer over very low heat for ten minutes. Do not allow to boil. In another heavy saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar and cornstarch. Add the egg yolks and honey and whisk until smooth and creamy.
  2. Strain the flavored cream to remove the solids, then slowly pour ¼ of the cream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Continue adding the cream in small amounts, whisking constantly, until all the cream has been incorporated. Caution, if you add the hot cream to the egg mixture too quickly, the eggs will curdle.
  3. Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, whisking steadily, until the crème thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove it from the heat just before it begins to boil, then continue whisking for another 2 minutes.
  4. Divide the crème evenly between the two ramekins, tapping each to smooth the tops. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate, covered, for at least 3 hours or as long as overnight. Just before serving, heat the crème brûlée iron (salamander) until screaming hot (approximately 5 minutes) in the embers of your charcoal grill or fireplace, or laid flat on the grate of your gas grill or on the heating element of your stove top burner. Evenly sprinkle 2 tablespoons of turbinado sugar or Best of Barbecue™ Dessert Rub over the top of each ramekin. Using heat proof gloves and tongs, carefully press the hot iron into the top of the custard to caramelize the sugar to the color of topaz. Serve immediately.

NOTE: The salamander must be very hot, or the sugar will stick to the bottom of it.

Recipe Courtesy of:
~Steven Raichlen
Daniel Replogle

Daniel does business development and marketing at The Companion Group. When he isn’t writing you can find him rock climbing or doing ceramic artwork.