Earl Grey Creme Brulee

Enjoy this Earl Grey Creme Brulee recipe for a twist on this classic dessert with the subtle hints of bergamot from Earl Grey tea and served up for a perfect date night dessert!

Playing with food goes from being something we do with carefree abandon as kids to being something we don't even consider in the busyness of life and so Creme Brulée gives you time to play with your food. You can't even eat it without first playing with a tap tap tap and crack of the caramelized sugar.

History of Creme Brulee

One of the most famous dishes that every one naturally assumes is French (thanks to those fancy lines above the word brulee). Thanks to a long and lovely history from Gabriella Gershenson at Saveur, we know this popular dessert has a swirling history that dates back a long time. Though the recipe for how we eat it today was first formed in New York City in the 1980s, a place where so many great dishes we know and love have been created before and after this.

Ingredients and substitutions for Earl Gray Creme Brûlée

• Cream: Heavy cream was used here as it naturally makes the custard thick. You could replace with pouring cream that will thicken thanks to baking.
• Egg yolks: Adding structure and making our custard what it is, it would not be the same without these.
• Sugar: Superfine or caster sugar is used here because of how easily it dissolves and keeps our mixture smooth. Adding sweetness without additional flavors to our custard. Raw sugar or light brown sugar are good substitutes, though you might end up with a slightly more grainy or adding a caramel flavor to the creme brulee.
• Earl Grey tea: Loose leaf is used here for an easy infusion that doesn't contain any tea bag nasties (if you aren't aware about this and love tea, definitely do some research). Earl grey tea bags are a fantastic substitute also.
• Salt: The flavor powerhouse that will give depth to your custard and ensures it doesn't feel too heavy or sweet.

See recipe card for quantities.

How to make Earl Gray Creme Brûlée:

Step 1: Heat and steep: Heat the cream with the tea with the earl gray inside. Steep before removing the tea.

Step 2: Whip the yolks: Whip until light and then add a quarter of the cream in a slow stream whisking to combine.

Step 3: Ramekin ready: Pour the custard into your ramekins.

Step 4: Water bath and bake: Place the ramekins into a larger baking dish and pour boiling water half way up the ramekins. Bake until the center is no longer jiggly.

Step 5: Refrigerate: Place the custards in the fridge.

Step 6: Blowtorch it: Just prior to serving, sprinkle a little sugar on top and blowtorch (or broil) until the sugar is dissolved and golden.

Step 7: Serve: Dig in!

Variations

You can definitely change up the dish by changing the following:

Berry - Freeze dried berry powder such as raspberry would make this into a fruity delight!

FAQ's for the best Earl Gray Creme Brûlée

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Earl Grey Creme Brulée

Sylvie Taylor

Classy Creme Brulée lends itself to the tea infusion of earthy Earl Grey for a dessert for two which can easily be made ahead to make that famous caramelized sugar topping for serving time.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Cooling and chill time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 2

Calories 484 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 170 grams / ¾ cup pouring cream
• ⅓ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons loose earl gray or 2 tea bags
• 54 grams / 3 large egg yolks room temperature
• 50 grams / ¼ cup superfine/caster sugar plus 8 grams / ½ tablespoon for topping

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 150C/325F.
• Place the cream, salt and earl grey tea into saucepan on medium heat until simmering at the edges and hot, approximately 3 minutes.
• In the meantime, place the egg yolks and sugar into a bowl and whisk until the eggs are pale and the mixture is thick.
• Remove the cream from the heat and set aside for five minutes to steep, and cool.
• Discard the earl gray tea from the hot cream.
• Slowly pour the warm cream into the pale eggs, whisking to incorporate a quarter at a time until it is completely combined.
• Place your ramekins into a larger baking dish, pouring half the earl gray cream mixture into each.
• Boil water and pour the water ? up the sides of the pie dish into the large baking tray.
• Place in the oven until only the centers are jiggly, approximately 40 minutes.
• Remove and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Place in the fridge for minimum 1 hour to chill.
• Remove when ready to serve and sprinkle a further 2 tablespoons sugar evenly over the top.
• Carefully caramelize the top with a blowtorch or under a grill/broiler.
• Serve and tap to enjoy!

Video

Notes

• Earl Grey tea: Loose leaf is used here for an easy infusion that doesn't contain any tea bag nasties (if you aren't aware about this and love tea, definitely do some research). Earl grey tea bags are a fantastic substitute also.
• Ramekins: ¾ cup capacity ramekins were used and are best to give every person who is served a chance to tap tap and break their own sugar topping.
• Blowtorch: A blowtorch will dissolve that sugar and give you that golden topping. If you don’t have one, simply place under the oven broil or grill to caramelize within 2 hours of serving.
• Best served: This is best served within 2 hours of caramelizing. You can absolutely make and refrigerate up to 1 day before serving and caramelize just prior to serving.

Adapted from the NY Times

Nutrition

Calories: 484kcal

Keyword custard

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