Earl Grey Creme Brulee Recipe

4.50 from 74 votes

Reinvent a classic with our Earl Grey Creme Brulee. The fragrant tea adds a unique twist to the creamy custard, all under a perfectly caramelized sugar top, for a memorable dessert experience.

Prep Time5

Cook Time40

Total Time45

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: European

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 600kcal

Author: Linda

Equipment

Ingredients

2 cups 1 pint of heavy cream
1 whole vanilla bean or 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
4 Earl Grey tea bags
5 whole egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar for the creme brulee
1/8 cup sugar for the topping

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (163 degrees Celsius).
Slice your vanilla bean lengthwise with the tip of a very sharp knife, just deep enough to puncture the top exterior (not all the way through to the cutting board). Turn your knife over, and using the flat back edge, scrape the vanilla bean from top to bottom lengthwise to extract all of the delicious caviar.
Combine the vanilla caviar, cream, and tea bags in a heavy saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
Heat a few cups of water to a near boil either on the stove or in the microwave.
Whip together the egg yolks and the 1/2 cup of sugar until they become thick and pale yellow in color. This is best done in a stand mixer, so you have an extra hand for the next step.
Once the tea has steeped in the cream for ten minutes, remove the tea bags and discard them.
Very slowly, drizzle 1/2 cup of warm cream mixture into the egg yolks with the mixer beating the yolks on medium-low speed. Once you've added the first 1/2 cup, you can add the rest of the cream mixture slowly. Mix until combined.
Place four crème brûlée ramekins into a high rimmed baking sheet or glass baking dish. Divide the mixture evenly among the ramekins.
Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and pour the near-boiling water into the bottom of the baking pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the dishes.
Bake for 30 minutes or until set. The custard will be quite wobbly and will jiggle from side to side when nudged. It should not be liquid in the center.
Remove the ramekins from the pan (do not try to take the whole pan out with the extremely hot water sloshing from side to side). I've found that the best way for me is to use a stiff pancake turner. Cool the ramekins on a cooling rack until cool enough to touch.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours.
When you are ready to serve the crème brûlée, take the ramekins out of the fridge, uncover them, and sprinkle a fine layer of sugar over their tops. You want to get an even layer of sugar over the whole surface, so you may need to tilt, wiggle, and shake the dish to get the sugar to spread out. Tap out any excess sugar. Ignite a culinary torch and hold it near the ramekin so the flame is parallel to the surface of the custard. You want the heat from the flame to be very close to the sugar so it caramelizes, but not directly in contact with it, or it will burn. Move the torch around the surface of the custard in a slow, even motion so as not to burn the sugar. Caramelize the surface of all four crème brûlées. Serve immediately.

Notes

Storage Info:

To store Earl Grey Crème Brûlée, carefully cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate. You can keep this dessert for up to three days, maintaining its freshness and flavor when properly stored in the refrigerator.

Nutrition