Mary Berry Creme Brulee

Classic Crème BrûléeAn elegant French dessert featuring a silky vanilla custard base made with egg yolks, cream, and half-and-half, baked in a water bath. The signature crackling caramelized sugar topping is created with a kitchen blowtorch just before serving.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Chilling time 2

Servings: 8

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

4 extra-large egg yolks
3 tablespoons 30g granulated sugar
A few drops of vanilla extract
1¼ cups 300ml half-and-half
1¼ cups 300ml heavy cream
About ¼ cup 55g demerara sugar

Method

Begin by preheating your oven to 325°F and preparing your baking vessel—either an 18-ounce shallow dish or 6–8 individual ramekins with a light coating of grease.
In a bowl, beat 4 extra-large egg yolks together with 3 tablespoons (30g) of granulated sugar and a few drops of vanilla extract until the mixture becomes pale and well combined.
In a separate saucepan, heat 1¼ cups (300ml) of half-and-half and 1¼ cups (300ml) of heavy cream together until the mixture reaches just below boiling point.
Allow the cream mixture to cool slightly before slowly whisking it into the egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly to prevent the eggs from scrambling and creating a smooth custard base.
Pour the custard into your prepared dish or ramekins, then carefully place them into a roasting pan that has been filled halfway with hot water—this water bath guarantees gentle, even cooking that prevents the delicate custard from curdling or developing an undesirable texture.
Bake for 45 minutes if using one shallow dish, or 25–30 minutes if using individual ramekins, until the custard is set but still slightly jiggly in the very center. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely, then cover and refrigerate overnight, which allows the flavors to develop and the custard to firm up completely.
When ready to finish the dessert, preheat your broiler to high heat. Remove the chilled custard from the refrigerator and sprinkle about ¼ cup (55g) of demerara sugar evenly across the top of each ramekin or the shallow dish.
Place under the broiler for 3–4 minutes, watching closely to guarantee the sugar melts and caramelizes to a golden-brown color without burning. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, then refrigerate for 2–3 hours before serving, which allows the caramelized topping to slightly soften while maintaining its satisfying crunch.

Notes

What are some common mistakes when making crème brûlée?

The biggest mistake with Mary Berry creme brulee is overheating the custard, which causes curdling and a grainy texture instead of silky smoothness. The custard should gently cook in a water bath at low temperature, never exceeding 160°C. Rushing this process or baking at too high heat ruins the delicate creme brulee texture that makes this dessert so luxurious.

Over-torching the sugar topping is another frequent error with Mary Berry creme brulee. The caramelized sugar should form a thin, crisp shell that cracks satisfyingly under a spoon, not a thick, bitter burnt layer. Keep the blowtorch moving constantly and stop when the sugar turns golden amber. Additionally, adding the sugar topping too early causes it to dissolve into the custard rather than creating that signature creme brulee crunch.

Not chilling Mary Berry's creme brulee adequately before torching leads to warm, runny custard instead of cold, set perfection. The custards need at least 4 hours refrigeration, preferably overnight, to achieve the proper consistency. Using the wrong sugar is also problematic; creme brulee requires fine caster sugar for even caramelization, not granulated sugar which creates an uneven, grainy topping that won't achieve that perfect glassy finish.