Brûlée
Brûlée means burnt in French. To brûlée is to melt sugar on top of a dessert with a torch or broiler until it sets into a thin, glassy caramel shell.
Also called Brulee, Bruleed, Brûléed, Crème brûlée.
Brûlée is French for burnt. In cooking, to brûlée something is to sprinkle sugar over it and melt it with strong, direct heat until it turns into a thin, hard sheet of caramel. The best-known example is crème brûlée, a cold baked custard with a crackling top. Cooks also brûlée grapefruit halves, tarts and rice pudding.
How to do it
- Make sure the custard is fully set and cold, so the heat does not warm it through.
- Blot any moisture from the surface with a paper towel.
- Sprinkle a thin, even layer of fine sugar over the top, about 1 to 2 teaspoons for a 120 ml (½ cup) ramekin. Tip off the extra.
- Hold a kitchen torch so the tip of the flame is 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 inches) above the sugar. Move it in small circles.
- Stop when the sugar is amber with a few darker spots. For a thicker shell, add a second thin layer and torch again.
- Let it stand for 1 to 2 minutes so the caramel hardens.
If you have no torch, put the ramekins in a tray of ice water and slide them close under a very hot broiler (grill in the UK) for 1 to 3 minutes. Watch them the whole time.
How to tell it is done
The top is smooth, amber and glassy. Tap it with a spoon and it cracks. If it bends or feels sticky, the sugar has not reached the hard-crack stage.
Why it works
Sugar melts and starts to caramelize at about 160°C (320°F). As it cools, it sets into a glass. The torch heats only the thin sugar layer, so the custard below stays cold and creamy.
Common mistakes
- A thick sugar layer. It melts unevenly and leaves gritty, raw sugar under burnt patches.
- Holding the flame still or too close. The sugar scorches and tastes bitter.
- Torching hours ahead. The caramel absorbs moisture in the fridge and goes soft and sticky. Do it just before serving.
- Coarse sugar. It is slow to melt. Fine white sugar works best.
Related terms
- BroilBroiling cooks food with strong, direct heat from the top element of the oven. It browns cheese, chars peppers and cooks thin cuts in a few minutes.
- Hard-crack stageThe hard-crack stage is sugar syrup cooked to 149 to 154°C (300 to 310°F). A drop in cold water forms brittle threads that snap. It makes brittle.
- SetIn recipes, set means a liquid has firmed into a solid that holds its shape, as with custard, jam, jelly, eggs and chocolate. Here is how to check it.
- CaramelizationCaramelization is the browning of sugar under heat, which turns it from plain sweet to rich, nutty and a little bitter. It is not the Maillard reaction.
- RamekinA ramekin is a small, round, ovenproof dish for baking and serving single portions, such as crème brûlée, soufflé and baked eggs. Here is how to use one.