Craft our exquisite Passion Fruit Crème Brûlée for an irresistible contrast of sweet tanginess and creamy crunchiness in every bite.
- ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) granulated sugar, plus more for topping
- 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup (2 ½ floz/71 ml) strained passionfruit pulp
- 2 cups (16 floz/480 ml) heavy whipping cream
-
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and place four 4oz (115 ml) ramekins in a high-sided baking pan. Set aside.
-
Place a kettle of water over high heat and bring to a boil.
-
In a medium, heat-proof bowl whisk the sugar, egg yolks and passionfruit pulp together and set aside near the stove.
-
Pour the heavy cream into a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat until the liquid comes to a simmer.
-
Whisk the egg yolks constantly while you very gradually drizzle the hot liquid into the eggs. (Do not pour the liquid in all at once or without stirring or the yolks may curdle.)
-
Strain the mixture into a glass jug with a pour spout and discard any solids left in the strainer.
-
Divide the custard evenly among the prepared ramekins. If there are any bubbles on the surface of the custard, run your kitchen torch over the tops to pop the bubbles.
-
Place the pan of filled ramekins on a middle rack in the oven and pour boiling water from the kettle into the baking pan (taking care not to splash any into the custard) until the water comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
-
Bake the custards for 35-45 minutes, until the edges look set but it is still slightly jiggly in the middle. (See video for more detail.)
-
Remove the custards from the water bath and let cool to room temperature.
-
Cover and refrigerate the cooled custards for at least 4 hours (and up to 2 days), or until completely chilled.
-
Right before you are ready to serve, top each custard with a thin, even layer of granulated sugar.
-
Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar until it is brown. Let cool for a few minutes until the tops are hardened and then serve right away.
- When pouring hot cream into the egg mixture, be sure to add it gradually and keep whisking the whole time. This process is called tempering. Tempering eggs means stabilizing them by bringing them up to temperature slowly and evenly. If you pour in the hot cream too quickly, the shock of the hot liquid can cause the eggs to curdle.
- Custards are fully baked when they are set on the edges but still a bit jiggly in the center.
- Once baked, remove the ramekins from the water bath immediately, or they will continue to cook in the hot water.
- Try a variation by making this with the strained puree of another fruit, like mango, pineapple, guava, or papaya.
- If you like the idea of caramel and custard, try my flan next!