Chocolate Earl Grey Crème Brûlée
- Total Time
- 45 minutes, plus 2 hours’ cooling
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:2 servings
- 1cup plus 2 tablespoons/270 milliliters heavy cream
- 2Earl Grey tea bags or 2 teaspoons loose-leaf tea
- 2tablespoons/25 grams granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- ¼cup/38 grams finely chopped bittersweet chocolate, not chips
- 3large egg yolks
- Pinch of salt
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
1102 calories; 107 grams fat; 65 grams saturated fat; 32 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 30 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 185 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 300 degrees. Set two 8-ounce shallow ramekins in a baking pan with sides at least 2 inches tall.
- Step 2
Add the cream to a small saucepan set over medium heat and warm until just bubbling around the edges. Turn off the heat, add the tea and let steep for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags, pressing to extract all of the liquid into the pan. If using tea leaves, strain out the leaves and return the cream to the pan.
- Step 3
Add the 2 tablespoons/25 grams of granulated sugar and return the pan to the heat, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a gentle simmer and the sugar dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the chocolate until smooth.
- Step 4
Add the egg yolks and salt to a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Slowly stream the warm chocolate mixture into the eggs while whisking continuously. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a container with a spout, for easy pouring.
- Step 5
Slowly pour the mixture into the ramekins, dividing evenly. If the custard has large air bubbles floating on the top, use a kitchen torch on a low setting to pop the bubbles. Fill a kettle or container with a spout with about 3 cups of hot tap water.
- Step 6
Gently place the pan in the oven. Carefully pour the hot tap water into the pan until it comes about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake the custards until just set but slightly wiggly in the center, 22 to 25 minutes.
- Step 7
Remove the pan from the oven and carefully use a spatula to remove the custards from the water bath and set them on a rack to cool. Once they are cool enough to handle, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the custards until completely cool, at least 2 hours.
- Step 8
When you are ready to serve, sprinkle the top of each custard with a thin layer of sugar; you’ll need 1 to 3 teaspoons, depending on the width of your ramekins. Use a kitchen torch held about ½ inch above the custards to melt and caramelize the sugar. Move the torch slowly over the entire surface of the custard to evenly melt then caramelize the sugar until it is deep golden brown. Let the sugar cool for a minute or two then serve. You can make the custards up to 2 days in advance; let the chilled custard sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes so it can soften slightly before you torch the top just before serving.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Maria Cate
Please New York Times stop calling for the use of plastic wrap in your recipes. The disconnect between your reporting on the devastation of our oceans and rivers by plastic pollution and your food section is astounding. Please correct your recipes and recommend parchment paper or some other non-polluting substance.
Texas Lone Star
While I don't disagree with you at all, what they really should be calling for is eliminating liquid soaps which are mostly water and always delivered in much thicker plastic (you can use a huge amount of plastic wrap before you get to one washing machine bottle), preserving left-overs in plastic, when glass makes a better source and can be used to reheat the dish, etc. You are right, but I think we need to push harder on higher priorities.
Jennifer
Karen, I would suggest you try Mark Bittman’s Vegan Chocolate Pudding with Cinnamon and Chile. It’s delicious!
Judi
We don’t have a kitchen torch but we do have a propane plumber’s torch. Same idea just a little more industrial and easier to control than a broiler.
Alyson
Made this yesterday and was overall happy with the outcome. The earl grey flavor for me was really subtle with the chocolate, more of a floral aftertaste. I do not have ramekins so I used two holes of my jumbo muffin tin and sat it in the water filled baking dish. I also do not have a blowtorch so I used the oven broiler. Rather than plastic wrap, I just covered the tins in the fridge with a silpat mat.
Mylinh
24 mins. is probably too little time. Most other recipes call for the creme brulee to cook in the oven for 30 - 45 mins. Some even go up to an hour and use 4 - 6 oz ramekins, not 8 oz. In addition, they usually do it at 325 degrees, not 300. (The reduction in temp. might have to do with the addition of the chocolate though). Lastly, other recipes usually tell you to whisk or beat the sugar and egg yolks together until they just start to lighten in color. This recipes does not. Maybe try that :)
cordier
@Karen — Just Egg is made from chickpea (aquafaba) and behaves like egg whites, not yolks. The yolks in this dish serve as both thickener and emulsifier. Good news is chocolate usually has an emulsifier already. For a vegan thickener, you can try cashew. For this recipe, I’d steep the tea in water or cream (if you just want want to omit the yolks) then blend it with 3/4 cup dried cashews with tea. Proceed with step 3, then skip step 4 (though do strain it). You should end with a luscious cream.
Joanna
Karen, the egg yolks are essentially the thickening agent so you could use cornstarch to thicken the custard instead. I don’t have experience with the egg substitute you mention
greataunt
Could this be made without the chocolate?
Caroline
Update - the earl grey bergamot was much more present the next day. I used one tsp of sugar and it was the perfect amount.
Caroline
This was my first time making creme brulee, and it turned out well! I doubled the recipe and used four ramekins. I added vanilla. Like others have said, the earl grey flavor was subtle, but there. Next time, I may add more.
Ben Mazzola
For the person who asked for suggestions for how to make it in a sous-vide, chef steps has a recipe for creme brulee in a sous vide that I have made. They suggest putting the creme into small wide mouth mason jars, then cooking them for 1 hour in the sous vide at 181°. I have done this before though not with this particular creme brulee recipe. It works very well, and so long as you don't open the mason jar it will not go bad in the fridge for months
Ophélie
My whole family loves this recipe but we feel like we need to use more tea than the recipe calls for.
essa
This recipe is PERFECT for chocolate addicts. Don’t change a thing. So satisfying, so delicious.
Katie
not worth making if you like bergamot like me. it is way too subtle. Give me a classic creme brulee every time!
Laura D
Made this today following the directions as written. Flavor is excellent, and will make this again with the following modifications: Bake time and temperature didn’t work for me. Needed 35 min at 300 to set. Will increase temperature next time. Place eggs yolks at room temp The chocolate should be melted rather than chopped. Will microwave next time in 30 second intervals until soft prior to adding
Bogdan
I’ve made this over the weekend and was really pleased without the result. More importantly my wife loved it as well. There’s one thing to note. After tasting the cream I thought of adding a complementary flavour to the bergamot in the Earl Grey tea, 1.5 tsp vanilla extract. I think rum extract would have also worked. Next time I make it I will probably use 3 bags of tea, the bergamot aroma could use a little bit of bolstering.
JR
Recipe calls for two 8 ounce ramekins but only makes one 8 ounce serving.
Yurtman
Amount worked great for 4 - 6 oz. ramekins. Added an extra teaspoon of tea and a 1 inch chopped chunk of ginger to steep. Left ginger in entirely of simmer. Definite earl grey notes and added depth with ginger. Cooked longer due to comments but 30ish minutes was a bit too long. “Center jiggle” can extend closer to edge I think? Delicious regardless. Just a bit firm along base.
AK baker
So good. Thick. Rich. Creamy. No hint of curdling. Subtle Earl Grey (I used 2 generous tsp loose tea) flavor. Wrestled a bit with a propane torch but got it to work. Best valentines dessert in a long time.
Laura Lucas
These have a very dark chocolate taste. I used extra-bergamont tea, so the flavor really came through.
greataunt
Could this be made without the chocolate?
Elizabeth
Made this today. Delicious- but they were thin. Had them in the oven for 24 minutes. I followed the recipe to a tea. Any suggestions?
Mylinh
24 mins. is probably too little time. Most other recipes call for the creme brulee to cook in the oven for 30 - 45 mins. Some even go up to an hour and use 4 - 6 oz ramekins, not 8 oz. In addition, they usually do it at 325 degrees, not 300. (The reduction in temp. might have to do with the addition of the chocolate though). Lastly, other recipes usually tell you to whisk or beat the sugar and egg yolks together until they just start to lighten in color. This recipes does not. Maybe try that :)
Alyson
Made this yesterday and was overall happy with the outcome. The earl grey flavor for me was really subtle with the chocolate, more of a floral aftertaste. I do not have ramekins so I used two holes of my jumbo muffin tin and sat it in the water filled baking dish. I also do not have a blowtorch so I used the oven broiler. Rather than plastic wrap, I just covered the tins in the fridge with a silpat mat.
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