Gordon Ramsay Crème Brûlée Recipe

Gordon Ramsay’s crème brûlée is silky and barely set, made with double cream, whole milk, five egg yolks and vanilla, baked low and slow at 140C in a water bath. Serves 6, plus chilling time.

Ramsay writes in Sunday Lunch: “Crème brûlée was one of the first desserts I learnt to perfect while working under Guy Savoy in Paris.” On YouTube he reveals why his is smoother than most: fewer eggs, more cream. “We get away from this horrible eggy texture and we have this wonderful smooth velvet cream in the centre.”

The test is the wobble. Shake the ramekin gently. If the centre still jiggles, it’s done. If it looks set in the oven, it’s already overcooked. The custard firms up as it cools.

Gordon Ramsay Crème Brûlée

Recipe by Sophie LaneCourse: DessertCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

45

minutes

Calories

350

kcal

Total time

60

minutes

From Sunday Lunch: a crème brûlée learnt under Guy Savoy in Paris. Silky custard baked low and slow in a water bath with an optional rhubarb base. Fewer eggs than most recipes for a smoother, less eggy texture.

Ingredients

• For the rhubarb base (optional):

• 20g butter

• 200g (7 oz) rhubarb, trimmed and chopped

• 4 tbsp honey

• 1 vanilla pod, split

• For the custard:

• 300ml (10 fl oz) double cream

• 120ml (4 fl oz) whole milk

• 5 large free-range egg yolks

• 60g (2 oz) caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp to finish

• Few drops of vanilla extract

Directions

• Preheat: Set the oven to 140C (285F/Gas 1). Stand six ramekins in a deep baking tin.
• Cook the rhubarb (if using): Melt the butter in a wide frying pan. Add the rhubarb, honey and seeds from the vanilla pod. Cook over high heat, tossing occasionally, for 5-6 minutes until soft and slightly caramelised. Spoon into the ramekins.
• Heat the cream: Slowly heat the cream and milk together in a saucepan until just coming to the boil. Remove from heat.
• Mix the custard: Beat the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla extract together in a bowl with a wooden spoon until evenly blended. Trickle the hot cream onto the egg mixture, beating constantly. Strain through a fine sieve into a jug. Skim off any froth.
• Pour and bake: Pour the custard into the ramekins. Add warm water to the baking tin until it comes halfway up the sides. Bake for 40-45 minutes until lightly set. Gently shake a ramekin: it should still wobble in the centre.
• Chill: Remove ramekins from the water bath and cool completely. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• Blowtorch: Sprinkle 1 tsp sugar evenly on top of each custard. Wave a cook’s blowtorch over the surface until the sugar caramelises into a hard, glassy shell. Serve immediately.

FAQs

Why fewer eggs than most recipes?

Ramsay explains on YouTube: “Because it has such a high content of fat it doesn’t require as many eggs.” Five yolks for 420ml of liquid sets the custard softly, not firmly. Most recipes use six or seven and end up closer to flan.

The ratio matters more than the technique. Get that wrong and no amount of careful baking fixes the texture.

Why bake at 140C?

Low heat sets the custard evenly from edge to centre. Higher temperatures cook the outside hard while the middle stays liquid. You end up with a rubbery ring around a runny pool.

The water bath insulates from direct heat. If you see the water bubbling, the oven is too hot.

Can you add rhubarb?

Ramsay does. The Sunday Lunch recipe sautées 200g chopped rhubarb with butter, honey and vanilla pod seeds for 5-6 minutes, then spoons it into the ramekins before pouring the custard on top. As it bakes, the rhubarb softens into a purée underneath.

On YouTube he says he changes the fruit with the seasons: “sometimes rhubarb, or some mango and some peaches.” The custard base stays the same every time.

What if you don’t have a blowtorch?

Heat the grill to maximum. Place the sugar-topped ramekins underneath for 2-3 minutes. Watch closely because the sugar goes from caramelised to burnt in seconds.

In Quick and Delicious Ramsay writes: “Blowtorches aren’t just for browning sugar on crème brûlée. We use them all the time in my kitchens.” They cost about £10 and are worth it. The tiramisu is the better option if you want a no-equipment dessert.

How far ahead can you make these?

The custards keep in the fridge for two days before torching. Ramsay’s Sunday Lunch planning guide says to “make the crème brûlées and chill, ready to apply the topping the next day.”

Only blowtorch the sugar just before serving. The caramel softens after 30 minutes and loses its crack. The tiramisu soufflé is the opposite: eat it the moment it leaves the oven.