Description
Creamy vanilla custard meets tart berry brulee in this elegant French dessert. Caramelized sugar creates a crisp golden shell that cracks beautifully when you tap it with a spoon, revealing luscious layers beneath.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups/300g fresh mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries)
- 1 cup/240 ml/8 fl oz heavy cream
- ¼ cup/50 g granulated sugar (for custard)
- ¼ cup/50 g granulated sugar (for brulee topping)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Cream Preparation: Whisk cream, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl until achieving a silky, glossy texture with a smooth pourable consistency.
- Berry Foundation: Distribute a colorful array of fresh berries across individual ramekins, creating a vibrant fruity base for the dessert.
- Cream Infusion: Pour the cream mixture gently over the berries, ensuring complete coverage and uniform distribution throughout the ramekins.
- Chilling Phase: Refrigerate the dessert, allowing the cream to set and the berries to become cool and deeply infused with flavor.
- Caramelization Technique: Sprinkle a delicate layer of granulated sugar across the surface, then utilize a kitchen torch with circular motions to transform the sugar into a golden, crisp caramel shell; alternatively, position ramekins under the broiler with careful supervision.
- Finishing Touch: Allow the caramelized sugar to cool and harden momentarily, creating a delicate, crackling surface that will dramatically shatter when tapped with a spoon.
- Serving Presentation: Immediately present the dessert, showcasing the luxurious layers of chilled cream, vibrant berries, and gleaming caramel crust.
Notes
- Choose Fresh Berries: Select ripe, firm seasonal berries at peak sweetness for maximum flavor and vibrant color in your brulee.
- Control Torch Technique: Move torch steadily and quickly in circular motions, keeping flame 2-3 inches from sugar surface to achieve even golden caramelization without burning.
- Chill Thoroughly: Refrigerate dessert for minimum 2 hours before caramelizing to ensure cream sets perfectly and maintains elegant structure when serving.
- Adjust Sugar Layer: Sprinkle thin, even sugar layer for crisp caramel top – too thick creates uneven melting, too thin prevents classic crackable crust.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Broiling
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 392
- Sugar: 34 g
- Sodium: 36 mg
- Fat: 35 g
- Saturated Fat: 22 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 37 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg