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!
Table of Contents
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:
Heat and steep: Heat the cream with the tea.
1
Beat the yolks: Beat the egg yolks until light.
Infused: Remove the earl gray tea from the cream.
Slowly does it: Add a quarter of the cream in a slow stream to the eggs.
2
Ramekin ready: Pour the custard into your ramekins.
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.
3
Refrigerate: Place the custards in the fridge.
Blowtorch it: Just prior to serving sprinkle a little sugar over the tops of your custard and blowtorch (or broil) the tops until the sugar is dissolved and golden.
4
Serve: Dig in!
Variations
You can definitely change up the dish by changing the following:
Chocolate - Add cocoa powder mixed with water in place of the coffee here for a chocolate creme brulee pie.
Berry - Freeze dried berry powder such as raspberry would make this into a fruity delight!
FAQ's for the best Earl Gray Creme Brûlée
The key to whisking your cream through the egg yolks is to ensure the cream has cooled enough, even 2 minutes, and adding to the eggs in stages to heat the eggs slowly and steadily.
Traditionally the baked custard is refrigerated for several hours before adding that crunchy sugar topping.
More creamy desserts you'll enjoy
Earl Grey Creme Brulée
Ingredients
- 177 milliliters / 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: ½ 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.
Nutrition
Subscribe to receive a free weekly newsletter using seasonal produce as well as exclusive content!
Made it and loved it?
If you have made this recipe, it would mean so much to leave a review below to help more people find this.
Leave a Reply