You’ll want to make this: Baileys crème brûlée

With its rich vanilla custard and crispy caramelized sugar topping, crème brûlée may well be one of the most beloved desserts of all time. To make this divine dessert even more delicious, we like to add something extra: Baileys.

Serve crème brûlée at a dinner party and your guests will think you trained at Le Cordon Bleu. When in fact, it’s surprisingly simple: cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla – and patience. But add a French accent, a kitchen blowtorch and a porcelain dish, and suddenly you’re the Gordon Ramsay of your group of friends.

Crème brûlée isn’t pudding, okay?

Let’s start with a misconception: crème brûlée isn’t pudding. It’s a custard. Crème brûlée is soft, creamy, sultry… and then comes that moment when you break through the layer of caramelized sugar with your spoon – crack! – Yes, that. No pudding can do that.

Oh, that sound…

Some people listen to ASMR videos to relax. We have a better alternative: listen to the sugar topping of a perfect crème brûlée crack. Trust us, no whispering yogi can compete with that.

Keep the fire burning

The best crème brûlée is made with a blowtorch. Because that layer needs to caramelize faster than fast, so your custard stays cold while your topping becomes hot and crispy. We understand that not everyone has a blowtorch. No stress: you can also caramelize the sugar under the grill.

In wide, shallow dishes

Crème brûlée should always be made in shallow, wide dishes. If you bake the dessert in dishes that are too deep, the crème brûlée may become overcooked, which isn’t very tasty. This recipe calls for granulated sugar, but granulated sugar takes longer to melt than brown sugar. As a result, the top layer of the custard may warm up again, which isn’t the intention. That’s why I prefer brown sugar – especially for the topping. It gives you the best crack.

How to make Baileys crème brûlée

• Heat the milk and cream together with the vanilla pod. Make sure it doesn’t boil. Once hot, remove the pan from the heat and add the Baileys.
• Whisk the egg yolks with 30 grams of sugar until the mixture is light and creamy. Gradually pour in the warm Baileys mixture while continuing to stir. Leave to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Divide the mixture among 6 (up to 8, depending on their size) shallow, wide dishes. Place these dishes in a large baking dish. Add a layer of boiling water to the large baking dish, so that each dish is standing in a few centimeters of water. Be careful not to get any water in the crème brûlée!
• Bake the crème brûlée in the oven for 25 minutes. The center of the crème brûlée may wobble slightly when you take it out of the oven!
• Place the crème brûlée in the refrigerator and leave to cool for about 2 hours.
• To finish, sprinkle the remaining sugar over the crème brûlée. Melt the sugar with a kitchen blowtorch or place them under the hot grill in the oven for a few seconds.

Also read:

• This crème brûlée for dummies is going viral, and we understand why
• Baileys fans, be ready: you’ll want to make these Baileys brownies!
• Recipe for hot chocolate milk with Baileys