Creme Brulee (Ramsay vs Stewart)

This is my first attempt to make creme brulee. I’ve always wanted to make creme brulee but since i don’t have a blowtorch to do the finishing so i thought i couldn’t make it. But with a full spirited i decided to make it using my oven. And the result wasn’t really disappointed. Thankfully, my boyf bought me a blowtorch to give the creme brulee perfection. I was using two different recipes here. The first one i made was Gordon Ramsay’s recipe and the second one is from Martha Stewart. The reason why i ‘m using two recipes is because on my first trial with Ramsay’s recipe after i baked it in oven, the batter seems not set. It was like Puyo’s silky pudding. I thought it was supposed to be firm after i baked it. So i immediately decide to try another recipe to see the difference. And Martha Stewart seems good to go.

Both of the recipes use Water Bath Method. And from my research, thats because high heat will burn the custard batter. And make sure the water boiled before you pour it half full into the baking dish.

If you wondering where i get the recipe, you can visit Gordon Ramsay recipe here and Martha Stewart recipe here. But i will share with you how i made my Creme Brulee.

There are not much you need to make creme brulee. In Ramsay’s recipe, he include milk and that will definitely make the different. Not only to the taste but also the firmness when its already set.

I always use castor sugar for baking. It’s helps a lot because castor sugar can dissolve faster than sanding sugar.

Since i can not find any heavy cream in my country, i use this one instead. There are so many whipping cream sold in the market, but i chose this one because the fat percentage. You need at least 35% fat to called a heavy cream. And since Elle & Vire whipping cream is too expensive to buy, i prefer this one.

This is the key ingredients of Ramsay’s recipe. I was run out of milk when i made this creme brulee, so i ran to the nearest minimarket and buy this. If you wondering will it make any difference? I would say no. I was hoping the cream inside the milk will help to set the creme brulee and as i said before, it won’t. So use any milk you can find as long as its plain not flavored.

You will need only the yolk not the whole eggs. But hey, you can paired this creme brulee recipe along with meringue because some of the ingredients are complimented each other. Ha!

Oh yes, this one is also the key ingredient. Don’t even try to substitute vanilla beans with you vanilla extract. Yes, it will still taste vanilla, but the smell won’t be as tasteful as vanilla bean can give you. Trust me on this one!

Boiled the water before you pour it into the baking dish. Varying the temperature of the water bath essentially just varies the amount of time the custard spends in the baking. The water will eventually reach 100C, using hotter water just gets it there more quickly. It won’t effect to the taste of the creme brulee.

I’m really sorry i deleted my creme brulee photo after i finished it with my oven upside fire. But all i can say is you can make creme brulee even without blowtorch. There are so many videos in youtube about creme brulee without blowtorch and i’m pretty sure it taste the same when you use the blowtorch. Some recipes use brown sugar or sanding sugar for the finishing. I would say it’s your choice. As long as its sugar, it will be caramelised. So don’t be confused.

Here i’m going to say the difference between Ramsay’s recipe and Stewart’s recipe. In my opinion i prefer Ramsay’s, because it taste better than Stewart’s. I’m not saying that Stewart’s recipe taste bad, its just i taste Ramsay’s creme brulee is sweeter but not too sweet than Stewart’s recipe. I believe thats from the milk. The milk seems to help with the balance of the taste. I’m not sure is that because of the full cream i used or because Martha Stewart’s recipe has less sugar.

If you find your creme brulee not setting after you take it out from the oven, please don’t be panic as i did. The Creme Brulee custard doesn’t usually set during cooking, it sets as it cools. So it wouldn’t be unusual for it to be in a semi-liquid state when it came out of the oven and went onto a cooling rack. Refrigeration is typically required to get it completely set.

I hope you enjoy your creme brulee. while for now i’m trying to find other recipe to use my blowtorch. Haha! See you soon…

Regards.

FubuFebi