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Tips and tricks for perfect crème brûlée profiteroles

How to make crème brûlée
Crème brûléeis a baked custard, usually vanilla flavoured that has a caramelised sugar
topping. It’s claimed by the French but other countries have similar variations of their own,
most notably the Spanish ‘Crème Catalan’ and the English ‘Trinity Cream’.

Start with the custard
It’s quite simple to make a crème brûlée custard mixture. Bring the cream and vanilla to the
boil, then pour it over the whisked egg yolk and sugar mixture, stirring until well combined
and you have a runny custard milk. At this point, it’s best to strain the mixture and place it in
the fridge so that it can ‘mature’ overnight. This step is critical because it allows time for the
proteins in the egg to absorb the free water content from the cream, producing a thicker,

creamier end result and giving you a quicker bake time.

Bake in a water bath
It’s always best to bake the crème brûlée custard in a water bath or bain marie. The water
acts as a buffer against the harsh, direct heat of the oven. Extremely high, prolonged heat

will cause the water in the custard to split from the proteins. As the water tries to escape,
characteristic air bubbles associated with over-baked or high-temperature baked custards
are created. This is known as syneresis.

How to tell when the custard is cooked

You’ll know the custard is ready if, when you shake the tray, it has a stable wobble to it. The
egg proteins will continue to cook once out of the oven so take care not to overcook it.

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