I would like to see Alex make a series on Indian food. There's so much complexity about spices and the layering of flavours, it seems just like the type of stuff Alex would do
@@FrenchGuyCooking I would suggest that you look into south indian cuisine. Something that deserves a lot more attention than it gets, not to mention that it is right up your alley of complexity.
La crème brûlée c’est mon dessert préféré depuis l’enfance. Quand j’ai eu 13 ans un ami pâtissier de mon père m’a fait goûter sa version qui était verte… c’est la première fois que je goûtais du matcha de ma vie, je savais même pas ce que c’était. La richesse et l’onctuosité m’on laissé un souvenir impérissable et ce goût du matcha me hante les rêves encore aujourd’hui!!!
I’m happy to see Alex. At some point I thought the dried pasta experience broke his spirit or something. I cannot lie, I feel it still lingers in the background, and when he cracks the crème brûlée caramel, somewhere far away I hear someone breaking some artisan spaghetti in half.
I've made thousands of Crème Brûlée during my time as a chef, and done several different methods and recipes, and the one that never failed me was 90c in a oven in a bain marie, for 1h - 1h-30min, it's kinda the same process here but without the bain marie, but I tend to stick with it as it's almost a fail proof process.
@@usprulse I do this all the time in my pedestrian home oven. I bake fabulous sourdough bread on a slab of marble. Along with the bread I also put at the top a tray with 0.5l of freshly boiled water. It not only blocks all radiant heat, it also provides 100% humidity in an instant. Highly recommend!
@@usprulse I am also a pastry chef. Honestly, for years i have always used bai marie low and slow. However for the last few years, using a rational, 100% humidity, and the custard from room temp(even fridge cold works) works perfects. I have even dropped to 80 degrees C before. And Demerara sugar is also awesome to use! Quality video, quality dessert! Also, I have done the same recipe in a "dry" oven, my home one, no bain marie again, simply good quality ramekins and a 80-90 degrees C oven, you want to remove them from the oven when they still have a nice wobble to them.
As far as I can tell you from the video, the chef used the dry option only on his rational (the 3th menu option on the top in red is the baking only option). I don't know what alex is talking about 100% humidity. If he had used the baking/humidity option with 100% than the top of the Crème Brûlée would be full with water...
@@zsofiademeter2956 at my old restaurant we did creme burlee with 100% humidity.. we cover the plates with warpper. And yes after 1 hour ish there is water on top.
I worked in a restaurant. We did a Sea Salt Caramel Crème Brûlée. It had just enough salt that it made you want to take another bite. It was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. We also did a Crème Brûlée where the milk was infused with Fruity Peebles. Unfortunately the 144 servings we made sold out before I could try it. It was an idea from our Fry Cook who also came up with the best Cocktail I’ve ever had. Dude has an amazing mind for what tastes good together
From dried pasta to creme brulee, do you enjoy torturing yourself? Lol. This is the only dish I ever gave up on trying to make, but with the knowledge I know I'm going to acquire from this new series maybe I'll go back and try it again. Good Luck Alex!
We've occasionally had creme brulee at home and at least when it comes to making the top, it doesn't seem that hard, we used a light layer of mixed sugar (2/3 brown 1/3 white) and often had multiple people blowtorch their own for the first time, leading to success. So it just comes down to getting the custard right
Elle doit être très bonne, mais je me rappelle de la crème brulée de l'Escarbille pas loin de Toulouse ou le sucre était caramélisé avec une presse en métal qui était chauffée au feu de bois. La couche de caramel était parfaite et elle apportée aussi un léger goût de fumée de bois qui était exquis! Bref merci de me ramener des bons souvenirs et très bonne vidéo j'ai hâte de voir la suite!
For everyone not speaking french, here a translation: "It must be very good, but I remember the crème brulée of the Escarbille not far from Toulouse where the sugar was caramelized with a metal press that was heated over a wood fire. The layer of caramel was perfect and it also brought a light taste of wood smoke which was exquisite! Anyway, thanks for bringing back good memories and I can't wait to see what happens next!"
C'est clair que ça doit être le top de cette manière. Faute de mieux, je caramélise aussi au chalumeau, mais je trouve que ça donne un goût de gaz à la préparation...
Echoing what everyone is saying in the comments: Sous Vide. I've been doing this for 3 years now and it's perfect every time. No surprises. Incredible texture, easy to torch in short, wide jars, and it's was less fussy than a bain marie or an oven. I would buy a Sous Vide just to make Creme Brulee (okay maybe for cooking perfect poultry too)
It is still a crime that you don't have more subscribers but you are almost at 2 million. The journey and the detail in your videos are always amazing. Such an experience to see this.
In the restaurant I worked at we did creme brulee very similarly. However, when it came to the caramel, we went a bit of a different route which seemed to be very popular. A layer of brown sugar like they did but we topped it of with a thin layer of powdered sugar. It yielded a ever so slightly nicer caramel.
Finally someone calling out all the bad crème brûlée's out there. That perfect thickness of the carmel top is the hardest part, imo - so often it feels like not fully melted or like there's way too much so it cracks like a sucker. It's so hard to find a really good one, but when you do, it's the best 🤤
Hi Alex ...love your show...nice to see that you enjoy classic dishes. Here some tips from an ex 3 Michelin star chef pattisier For 1 creme brulle use 100g unsweetened liquid. 20g sugar and 20g/1 egg yolk For Vamilla creme brulle use 20g creme fraiche 30g heavy cream and 50g milk and the best vanilla you can get your hands on Rather poach your creme brulee at 96 degree for 1 hour at dry heat This results that the surface is dryer after poaching and you get a thinner crust as less sugar sticks to it compared to 100% humidity poaching. Instead of just using milk products Add some chest nut puree..passion fruit pulp rhubarb pulp or what ever you can think of to the cream I also made the creme brullee mix and smoked the mix with cigar smoke or infused toasted wood chips used for wine making. Really nice Have fun
Why do I end up crying each time you eat something and it's so good. Thank you! I have so much more of the world to see and am glad you post these videos.
I have a ritual of eating a Creme Brulee in every city I've ever visited. I've had one in almost every continent, from Australia to Iceland. Over time I've fine-tuned my Crème Brûlée recipe to perfection. The cream is definitely supposed to be the show-stopper. It should be smooth, cool, not overly sweet, not too firm, not runny at all, flavoured slightly (either with vanilla or somthing else, lemon works well but is less traditional of course.) I'm curious what your Parisian one is like.
@@inos3697 It would get condensation on top, but to prevent that you can put a small piece of aluminum foil to cover the top of the ramekhins. I have a 5.7L Instant Pot and can usually fit 4-5 ramekhins if stacked neatly and carefully. A small amount of condensation can still occur even with alu foil, but you can just grab a piece of kitchen towel and gently absorb the residual water.
One thing to experiment with is making caramel, blending it into a sugar/powder and then melting that with the blow torch on top - it's much more consistent in terms of coverage, melting etc. but you may like the inconsistency of the torch + sugar.
It is wonderful of the chef to allow you to have filmed this for all of us to see. It made sense to cook it on a slow heat for a long while, and that I need to get a blow torch now, lol.
I need to say this, but I'm just glad you're coming back to something we can make at home. Because none of us is going to try to make dry pasta at home, or dry meat... and only some of us will try the sauces (Once I have my own house, I might). I have to admit it was interesting to learn about how it is done, but I think we all want to try to do what you show us... Alright now that I think about it I'm scared that you're going to make some crazy contraptions to make crème brûlée !
I once saw someone make hard caramel and then blend it back into a fine sugar and use that as their creme brulee top. The idea was that you had a lot more flexibility when bruleeing it since you could go anywhere from when it liquified to when it burns rather than needing to get every part past liquified and to caramelized
By far, I’ve found that the most important part of making Crème Brûlée is how it’s cooked. Most recipes call for a water bath in a very high temperature oven for an exact time. That is dangerous. To produce the proper texture, ANY egg custard needs to be cooked at a precise temperature. That’s what this guy has - a Sous Vide (precision temperature) oven. NOT CHEAP! I’ve done the same thing with my Sous Vide cooker (CHEAP!). I just raised the “floor” of the water bath so the ramekins barely touch the water, preheat to around 180-190F (not that critical), cover each to prevent condensation from “dripping” on them, cover the whole water bath container (to create the “oven”), cook for at least 75 minutes (again, not that critical), and Voilà! The perfect Crème Brûlée ! Every time! (vary ingredients to your liking).
@@christopherkarr1872 Well I have to admit. I cook almost everything in my Sous Vide, so it just comes naturally. Polenta, shrimp (really good!), warm up Cacio e Pepe (or anything), steaks, or meat of any kind. I've even made a Sous Vide smoker. Amazing.
@@tom2207 I use my water bath in much the same way - ramen eggs, medium-rare salmon, chuck roasts as tender as ribeye... I just happen to have never attempted a custard in the sous vide for lack of sous need. I will admit to some liquid smoke antics, though. ^_^
"life is worth being lived" as a culinary enthusiast, this is the best compliment i have ever heard and i wish to reach that level. Thank you for such inspirational video Alex.
I like my creme brulee on the creamy side. I have my own chickens, I get fresh cream from a dairy farm down the road and I sweeten it with maple syrup that another local farmer makes. I love it when I can cook things and see where all the ingredients came from out of my kitchen window.
Raaah, I spent 10 years to master Crème brulée. I've tested so many recipes. Indeed, so simple, but so hard to do oit well. Anyhow, i'm a bit surprised the "best in paris" is mades from industrial yolk.
Depending on the quality of that industrial yolk i would think a diffrent source may produce a better result but what that industrial carton yolk gives you is consistensy that is very difficult to dubplicate
Am I the only one, who likes to see his ads, because the little 'beep' sound at the beginning and end of it is so oddly satisfying? It's like a reward^^
I’ve actually learned making crème brûlée from your video Alex. I’ve made over a hundred by now I’m sure. It’s one of the only recipes I know by heart (3 egg yolks, 3 tbsp of sugar, 250ml whipped cream, one vanilla pod). I’m dying to make this version now with the added milk, the mixing of the yolks with the cream and the lower temperature! All the best!
I don't know if the lower temperature is going to work in a conventional oven. Restaurant ovens are a lot different and you wont get close to 100% humidity which is probably very important at this low temperature
I make mine au bain-marie in a conventional oven with 1 liter of water (3 flat ramekins) at 160 degrees. I don’t know if I reach 100 degrees humidity or not (not likely right?) but I imagine it to be pretty high. Anyway, there is room to play with lower temperatures I reckon.
Frist time I tried a Crème Brûlée I was 6 years old in Paris and I instantly fell in love with it ! In two years I will move to Paris to expand my cooking experience and skills. Love your videos @Alex they are a great delight 🤌🏻
My professor insisted that I make creme brulee for my class (graduate level information science). Which is how I ended up taking out my blow torch in the student lounge and finishing the top (I could not see how I could make and transport 20 individual servings, so I made one big one in a tart pan). My torch is not a cute little trigger one from Williams-Sonoma, but an actual propane torch from Home Depot. Flame on! I am grateful you are taking on creme brulee; it's one of my favorite desserts, and you are so correct that it is simple, but not everyone can do it justice. When it's right, it sings and completes the meal. Merci bien!
Oven with 100% humidity is same as sous vide. Tip, put whole coffee beans in you cream and let rest for a night. Next day sieve the cream and make you crème brulee as usual.
You're speaking out of my heart. I want to like Creme Brulee but it's ALWAYS bad when I order it. Ususally it's just super bitter because the sugar is burnt. Sometimes the sugar isn't melted at all. It's impossible to find a good one in Germany.
Nice! I have long been hoping that you would do a series of bistro classics. First visiting a restaurant that makes a quintessential example, and then breaking it down, and of course, putting your "Alex-spin" on it for us. A couple of books I have in my kitchen library are Patricia Wells' "The Paris Cookbook - 2001" and Daniel Young's "The Bistros, Brasseries and Wine Bars of Paris - 2006", in which they do exactly that. Together, they are a veritable who's who of the Paris dining scene at that time and of the chefs that influence how we eat in Paris to this day. Videos from you would be so much better. Looking forward to the Crème Brulee series!
6 egg yolks 55g caster sugar 2 vanilla pods 500ml double cream 6 tsp Demerara sugar Beat the vanilla pod seeds inti the eggs and sugar until the mixture is stiff. Put the cream and vanilla pods to boil. Whisk onto the egg mix. Return the mix to the pan and cook till custard thick 85°C. Strain into a jug and pour immediately into ramekins. Allow to cool then chill. Sugar the tops and burn with torch. Easypeasy lemon squeezy 😋
I've been making creme brulee with sous vide after seeing a video from Chef Steps. It seems very similar in texture to this. Though I don't always splurge on a vanilla pod, they are much better with them. Like mentioned it's truly a very simple dessert but in that simple-ness is a difficulty because the ingredients and techniques need to be correct. I found that high heat torches are better for the brulee step, don't use skimpy ones! Good luck, I'm excited to see what you discover in this series.
@@austinekenstam744 that makes alot of sense and is a perfect temperature to not curdle the only downfall is you need to tweek the recipe because it has less surface area to spread the sugar which is very important to the final product. Ramekins are fashionable but not as good. Try to use the bowl in this video as that is what we have always used in the top joints. Also tapas bowls. Here is a secret recipe that has been used in many michelin starred places I have worked at in UK and Europe. They all seem to use the exact same recipe and bowl as well. Chefs including marco pieere white and gordon ramsey and Raymond Blanc use this recipe and everybody who has trained under them including myself. Simple ratio. 1 Yolk : 100 ml cream : 10 grams sugar. For every 500 ml cream add 1 Madagascan vanilla pod depending on the size. Or use a good quality Madagascan vanilla essence. Or just use the cheap stuff if you want but remember the quality of all your ingredients effects the final product. No milk required because the vanilla is strong. Use 50/50 if you are weight concious and iff you are using just trim milk you will need to add an extra yolk per 500 ml. 1 X 500 ml batch serves 4 (approx 150 ml). Failsafe, tried and tested by chefs who are have been dead for decades. And use a mix of dried soft brown sugar and caster sugar Or jjust dried brown sugar, you can dry in an oven with pilot light on overnight or use a food dehydrator or set combi to 50 C and dry until it is clearly dry and then blitz to a fine powder. Sieve onto custard. The brown sugar lightens the bitter notes that the caramel produces. I am oldschool and classically trained. Sous vide attains perfection but too many chefs rely on it nowadays and dont learn how to feel the meat as it is cooking and can not do a mains section for 300 on a busy night to save themselves. Smaller establishments you have to do it all, meat, seafood and entremetier all on your own. It is a skill that is becoming long lost....
Crème brulée is my signature desert. Guest riot when I invite for dinner and there is no Crème brulée. This video is the first i have seen where it is done right. Love it!
A creme brûlée like the chef said is not a difficult dessert. I can’t say I’ve made one quite to his level (I always use a bain-marie as I don’t have a fancy industrial oven) but I’ve never had a grainy or soggy creme brûlée 😂
Alex, I've watched this video and, two days later, here I am eating this dessert with my friend at this very place. Thank you for the recommendation! ❤️
Why do i feel he's exaggerating like its a simple dessert even if you used the best of the best ingredients the outcome will be the same simple dessert idk but i got tired of that even tho i like his content but after the pasta series i stopped watching him as much
I've done a lot of experimenting with creme brulee and this is almost exactly what I came up with. I never thought to add some cream to the eggs though, that's brilliant. I also greatly prefer using vanilla bean paste over pods
Actually, Crema Catalana is just named like that because it was served in Catalonia (Catalana). It used to be called Crema Cremada which is simply Spanish for Creme Brûlée. In short, it's the same dish really.
@@dzello I really appreciate the history of the dish, though according to certain sources crema catalana may actually predate crème brûlée (being found in 14th century cookbooks compared to 17th century) There are key differences between them now - namely, it being made with milk instead of cream and flavoured with orange, lemon and cinnamon. I thought the same until I tried it - they're obviously very similar, but it's definitely distinct.
I can't wait for your follow up video's. Crème Brulee is definitely in my top two favorite desserts. When I see it on a restaurants dessert menu, it is really hard for me not to choose it over something else that looks delicious.
Creme Brulee is the first dish I perfected. You'll find that it's surprisingly easy to make it better than most michelin starred restaurants; but improving from there will be very challenging! Good luck!
I am a big fan of making creme brulee so I am excited to see how this series affects how I make it; it will definitely improve it for sure but how is the question. To note I have not yet been dissatisfied with how I made it but I can visually see some differences in how that restaurant turned out vs. mine. I think I use a greater concentration of egg yolk to cream since the recipe I use is adapted (I speculate) to the consumer vs professional oven.
Interesting, I would think given what the chef said about the cream buffering the yolks against the heat would be a good reason to lean toward the restaurant proportions. If that reasoning is valid then it would make the custard a little thinner than one with more egg but substantially easier to successfully cook without curdling
Thank you Alex and thank you Laurent. I have been doing all my "traditional" stuff like "Flan the huevo", "English pudding", "Crème Brûlée"; aux bain marie having an overpowered oven with the 100% humidity option. The fact is, even though it was faster, it lacked the smoothness of a high quality desert. I'll try to do tests with no water and longer to do them.It's the casual conversation between you two that opened my mind about that thing. Thank you again, I am eager to see your next steps in this journey.
It honestly shouldn't; what matters most in a professional kitchen is consistency of product, rather than using artisanal goods. Sure, if you can get a consistant product out of artisanal goods, that does show a level of skill in and of itself, but it really is just showing how well you can make up for deficiencies in the goods themselves, because they'll never be of a consistant quality.
@@marekbecker1 Agreed. Ordinary price, might even call it cheap. In the supermarkets here vanilla costs 5 euro a pod. He's got them for maybe 2,50 a pod. About the oven, well even though Rational is top-notch in the professional industry, the same effect can be done in a home-oven, providing that you find a way to add steam. Problem is probably the consistency of the temperature. Home-ovens tend to be very inconsistent in temperature. Steamer-ovens like this Rational aren't uncommon in the professional industry by the way, at least not in Europe and if Rational isn't there you can see ovens like Leventi or Unox. We had 5 Rationals at my previous workplace, 2 at school and I've seen them on plenty occasions. Steaming isn't one of the 'incredible' features of a Rational though, that is the part where you can set different temperatures at once, bottom at 160, top at 180 for example.
There is a tip that I invented for my restaurant. Don't use sugar on top. Cook caramel separate, pour it on baking sheet, let it cool. It must be hard as glass. Then crush it and blend to fine powder. Use instead of sugar. Melts much easier, doesn't have to be caramelized. So less time in contact with the flame meaning less heat transfer. Perfectly crunchy with cold custard underneath.
simple ratio. 1 Yolk : 100 Mls cream : 10 grams sugar. For every 500 Mls cream add 1 Vanilla pod. 500 Mls batch serve 4. Failsafe. And use a mix of dried soft brown sugar and caster sugar. Sieve onto custard. Use blowtorch...
Although I subscribe to many food-related TH-cam channels, I usually skip all desert related videos because I just don't have a sweet tooth. But only you can peak my interest to follow you on your journey in accomplishing your personal challenges. Highly inspiring & entertaining. I absolutely love it! Bless you, Alex. Cheers..
You are right about the simplest dishes being the hardest to master. I believe that is because there is nowhere to hide any flaws. Take your Cacio e Peppe for example, you have 5 ingredients total. Water, Salt, Noodle, Cheese, Pepper. If you screw up on any of them its noticeable. over cooked noodles, over/under salted, too much pepper, ETC.
When I was little I stayed in a tiny hotel near Cognac, FR with my parents on our way to our summer holiday. There I had a Creme Brulee that was so good that I remember dreaming about it back then and nowadays, 20something years later, I still sometimes think about it. I remember how the restaurant looked and the soup bowl they served it in. I am sure I have a romanticised the whole experience in my head, but still I have not found a similar quality of Creme Brulee. Good Creme Brulee can definitely impact your life!
I make it almost the same way.. it only takes me around 40 min in the same oven - and we also use different flavours, vanilla, passionfruit, cinnamon, tonka beans, apple, orange, caramel, and so on :) Greetings from vienna
When I was a chef. A few years ago now. We had a French guy on pastry called William. He still works at the Grims dyke hotel In Harrow. He makes the best crème brûlée I’ve ever had. And yeah it takes way more than 20 mins to cook. If it’s too hot it scrambles. At the end of the day. It is just baked custard :)
I recommend this recipe and that you make it sous vide! I don't think I've had better... oh, and of course use raw cane sugar for the top! From swedish pastry chef Daniel Roos Milk (3% )200 gr Full cream (40%) 400 gr Vanilla pod 1 Egg yolk 150 gr Sugar 100 gr (can use 120gr but I think it's too sweet) Salt 1,5 gr Boil cream with content from vanilla pod (and the stalks). Let cool and add yolks and sugar and rest for a night (in fridge) Sift through sieve, pour and cook in sous vide 83 C for an hour. Let cool and rest in fridge for 2-4 h and then add raw cane sugar and melt! I was thinking of adding a splash bourbon to this but we'll see ;)
Alex, if you want to make really simple, dummy proof amazing creme brulee.............use sous vide. In the same way that they are using a temp and humidity controlled oven, using sous vide means you don't bother tempering eggs or using a bain marie or anything like that. Throw all the ingredients in, mix, put them in wide mouth jars and cook in the water bath. Then do the brulee in the jar, so it is a bit less elegant to eat and present but it makes them every time perfect. One of my favorite desserts and one of the most common uses for my sous vide machine.
I totally agree with you that Creme Brûlée is a luve and hate desert. The best one I have had is a pumpkin creme Brûlée years ago in a small town in Canada. silky, smooth, with a hint of pumpkin fragrance, perfect crust.
"Au petit riche" was the go to place we sent our clients when I worked in hotel business in Paris. It was just around the corner and a solid culinary experience where we could send our clients to eyes wide shut. Check it out whenever you are in Paris.
Oho! I have been practicing creme brulee, and it's OK. Will definitely try the 90C for 90 mins. Also, I have noticed that not all brown sugars are the same. Some brands refuse to melt, it's hopeless. I thought I was doing something wrong for many tries, until I tried another sugar, and BAM it worked!
Bonjour Alex ! petite précision sur un four RATIONAL lors d'une utilisation en mode chaleur tournante (comme utilisé lors de la cuisson dans ta vidéo) le 100% indique que le four va conserver 100% de l'humidité dans l'enceinte de cuisson (plus concrètement le houra de ton four est totalement fermé) ainsi 100% de l'humidité de ton produit est conservée. comme toujours merci pour tes vidéos !!
In Portugal we have something very very similar called "Leite de Creme" and it's served in many restaurants and it's common to have it as a dessert in family parties at home. I never had a bad experience making or eating "doce de leite"/creme brulee.
My favorite creme brulee was near the exit of the Paris catacombs. Just across the street. There was a bistro that served lavender brulee. I have never had it so good since.
If using a normal oven, I recommend using a water bath. Fill it with boiling water and put it at 150°C in the oven. 55 Minutes is the right amount of time. I of course never was in the restaurant here, but this way, my Creme Brulee looks more or less the same and behaves the same way dissolving in the mouth like our video guy mentioned. Only downside is I don't know how to stop the top of the creme from becoming slightly brown. But when putting on the caramel, you do not see the top side anyway. The recipe is not mine, I found it and it worked amazing. Never made Creme Brulee before, only ate it in restaurants. Now I can make my favourite dessert all the time :)
Creme brulee is supposedly english more specifically from cambridge. From what i understand the french stole what was called cambridge burnt creme. Some cambridge chefs many years ago were making custard and burnt it.
Never messed up a cream brûlée somehow, always just mixed the ratio of egg yolks to cream on a double boiler cooked it and it came out fine every time.
I got taught many years ago that the sugar should be almost black nearly burnt, so you get a slight bitterness and sharp edges, to contrast the silky sweet custard underneath !
It is interesting, when a dessdert is seen as high class and all it needs are some ingredients from tetrapaks and a high-tech oven. Of course. Skill and knowledge are also key parts on making the perfect dessert.
When I think of @Alex, I don’t think of him as a chef - although he’s become a very good cook. The Skillshare that I’d love to see is his incredible ability to research, learn and the storytelling of his journey. There…there…he is a master. That’s the Skillshare I’d love. I suspect many of us can feel his epiphanies and ah-huh moments through the screen.
A cheerful Frenchman gushing over artisan level cooking, exactly what I needed today :) I've only ever had one crème brûlée in my life and I didn't really like it. It's clear to me just from watching this video that my experience was tainted by a poor quality of the dish, not because the dish itself is something I don't like. It seems that I will have to revisit my prior judgement. An excuse to try new foods is always welcome though :D
I don't know how Alex does this. He keeps hitting my staple dishes that I make at home (except for dried pasta, but I did find that interesting). Creme brulee is one of the few things I never order at a restuarant.... because mine is just so much better than whatever I have gotten at a restaurant and they just aren't hard to make. I'm not a particularly good cook, but I very much like my creme brulee.
The world's best creme brulee is made from boxed egg yolks. Honestly it shouldn't surprise me, they're probably extremely fresh and separating them yourself in the kitchen is a waste of time and then you've got to figure out something to do with probably a hundred kilos of egg whites every day.
Salut Alex! This is your ukrainian viever Dmytro. I have been to France many-many times, and I was always astonished of Creme Brulee. Obviously I tried to make it at home, and always failed. Until I found a recipe involving Sous vide. Honestly it's just changed the game itself. Recipe becomes 100% foolproof and you always get the same very good result. Maybe you should give it a shot, before torturing yourself with conventional way of cooking this dessert?
I would like to see Alex make a series on Indian food. There's so much complexity about spices and the layering of flavours, it seems just like the type of stuff Alex would do
It would have to be based on a specific dish since there are so many options. Is there one that stands out for you personally?
And I would love to do one. But Indian cuisine is so vast that it is very complicated to pick something. Any idea ?
@@FrenchGuyCooking do some famous curry’s or something maybe to start with
@@FrenchGuyCooking go for Dum biryani
@@FrenchGuyCooking I would suggest that you look into south indian cuisine. Something that deserves a lot more attention than it gets, not to mention that it is right up your alley of complexity.
I'm drooling.
would love to see a series of "The best in Paris"
yessss
That is exactly what i am working on 😱. Sometimes, I feel like an open book 😂
Yes! Where he first goes to the place, and afterwards recreates the dish. Like with this Crème Brûlée
Great idea!
Mais OUI!
La crème brûlée c’est mon dessert préféré depuis l’enfance. Quand j’ai eu 13 ans un ami pâtissier de mon père m’a fait goûter sa version qui était verte… c’est la première fois que je goûtais du matcha de ma vie, je savais même pas ce que c’était. La richesse et l’onctuosité m’on laissé un souvenir impérissable et ce goût du matcha me hante les rêves encore aujourd’hui!!!
Oui oui baguette omlette frommage abelle heur
@@schneestern3022 Well thank you for that very insightful comment ( ˘ ³˘)
Green tea infused creme brulee?! 🤯
@@gamingscientist7445 the taste is otherworldly!
@@TomatePasFraiche i think in parts of asia the flavour like that is popular
I’m happy to see Alex. At some point I thought the dried pasta experience broke his spirit or something. I cannot lie, I feel it still lingers in the background, and when he cracks the crème brûlée caramel, somewhere far away I hear someone breaking some artisan spaghetti in half.
I've made thousands of Crème Brûlée during my time as a chef, and done several different methods and recipes, and the one that never failed me was 90c in a oven in a bain marie, for 1h - 1h-30min, it's kinda the same process here but without the bain marie, but I tend to stick with it as it's almost a fail proof process.
as a chef i also saw the "steam oven" etc so i was very supprised that he uses a "dry" oven but with 100% humidity i wish i could give this a try...
@@usprulse I do this all the time in my pedestrian home oven. I bake fabulous sourdough bread on a slab of marble. Along with the bread I also put at the top a tray with 0.5l of freshly boiled water. It not only blocks all radiant heat, it also provides 100% humidity in an instant. Highly recommend!
@@usprulse I am also a pastry chef. Honestly, for years i have always used bai marie low and slow. However for the last few years, using a rational, 100% humidity, and the custard from room temp(even fridge cold works) works perfects. I have even dropped to 80 degrees C before. And Demerara sugar is also awesome to use! Quality video, quality dessert! Also, I have done the same recipe in a "dry" oven, my home one, no bain marie again, simply good quality ramekins and a 80-90 degrees C oven, you want to remove them from the oven when they still have a nice wobble to them.
As far as I can tell you from the video, the chef used the dry option only on his rational (the 3th menu option on the top in red is the baking only option). I don't know what alex is talking about 100% humidity. If he had used the baking/humidity option with 100% than the top of the Crème Brûlée would be full with water...
@@zsofiademeter2956 at my old restaurant we did creme burlee with 100% humidity.. we cover the plates with warpper. And yes after 1 hour ish there is water on top.
I worked in a restaurant. We did a Sea Salt Caramel Crème Brûlée. It had just enough salt that it made you want to take another bite. It was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. We also did a Crème Brûlée where the milk was infused with Fruity Peebles. Unfortunately the 144 servings we made sold out before I could try it. It was an idea from our Fry Cook who also came up with the best Cocktail I’ve ever had. Dude has an amazing mind for what tastes good together
Any chance for a recipe of the sea salt caramel brûlée? Thank you
No Bain Marie needed here because the hi-tech oven has good temperature control AND humidity control - which is what the water bath if for. :)
I once had a lavender crème brûlée. The lavender made it heavenly.
Recipe? 👀
@@jeff__wI had that too once and winced a bit at the thought of what taste it might have but it was actually wonderful.
From dried pasta to creme brulee, do you enjoy torturing yourself? Lol. This is the only dish I ever gave up on trying to make, but with the knowledge I know I'm going to acquire from this new series maybe I'll go back and try it again. Good Luck Alex!
exactly what I was thinking lol. it looks so easy but when you make it the 100th time, you still have problems to get it just right.
Next up: Macaron series 😅
@@craftedbyorre Omg lmao 😂
This is so inspiring because i feel the same dissapointment with the creme brulee in my area and i want to do better
We've occasionally had creme brulee at home and at least when it comes to making the top, it doesn't seem that hard, we used a light layer of mixed sugar (2/3 brown 1/3 white) and often had multiple people blowtorch their own for the first time, leading to success. So it just comes down to getting the custard right
Elle doit être très bonne, mais je me rappelle de la crème brulée de l'Escarbille pas loin de Toulouse ou le sucre était caramélisé avec une presse en métal qui était chauffée au feu de bois. La couche de caramel était parfaite et elle apportée aussi un léger goût de fumée de bois qui était exquis! Bref merci de me ramener des bons souvenirs et très bonne vidéo j'ai hâte de voir la suite!
Ah je bave, j'irais tester !
For everyone not speaking french, here a translation:
"It must be very good, but I remember the crème brulée of the Escarbille not far from Toulouse where the sugar was caramelized with a metal press that was heated over a wood fire. The layer of caramel was perfect and it also brought a light taste of wood smoke which was exquisite! Anyway, thanks for bringing back good memories and I can't wait to see what happens next!"
@@gibson1005 c'était il y a 15-20 ans donc peut-être qu'ils ont changé
C'est clair que ça doit être le top de cette manière.
Faute de mieux, je caramélise aussi au chalumeau, mais je trouve que ça donne un goût de gaz à la préparation...
Essaye de faire chauffer à blanc le dos d'une cuillère avec le chalumeau avant de la passer au dessus du sucre
Echoing what everyone is saying in the comments: Sous Vide. I've been doing this for 3 years now and it's perfect every time. No surprises. Incredible texture, easy to torch in short, wide jars, and it's was less fussy than a bain marie or an oven. I would buy a Sous Vide just to make Creme Brulee (okay maybe for cooking perfect poultry too)
It is still a crime that you don't have more subscribers but you are almost at 2 million.
The journey and the detail in your videos are always amazing. Such an experience to see this.
In the restaurant I worked at we did creme brulee very similarly. However, when it came to the caramel, we went a bit of a different route which seemed to be very popular. A layer of brown sugar like they did but we topped it of with a thin layer of powdered sugar. It yielded a ever so slightly nicer caramel.
Finally someone calling out all the bad crème brûlée's out there. That perfect thickness of the carmel top is the hardest part, imo - so often it feels like not fully melted or like there's way too much so it cracks like a sucker. It's so hard to find a really good one, but when you do, it's the best 🤤
Hi Alex ...love your show...nice to see that you enjoy classic dishes.
Here some tips from an ex 3 Michelin star chef pattisier
For 1 creme brulle use 100g unsweetened liquid. 20g sugar and 20g/1 egg yolk
For Vamilla creme brulle use 20g creme fraiche 30g heavy cream and 50g milk and the best vanilla you can get your hands on
Rather poach your creme brulee at 96 degree for 1 hour at dry heat
This results that the surface is dryer after poaching and you get a thinner crust as less sugar sticks to it compared to 100% humidity poaching.
Instead of just using milk products
Add some chest nut puree..passion fruit pulp rhubarb pulp or what ever you can think of to the cream
I also made the creme brullee mix and smoked the mix with cigar smoke or infused toasted wood chips used for wine making.
Really nice
Have fun
Love the fact you are so willing to drive yourself crazy.
Why do I end up crying each time you eat something and it's so good. Thank you! I have so much more of the world to see and am glad you post these videos.
I have a ritual of eating a Creme Brulee in every city I've ever visited. I've had one in almost every continent, from Australia to Iceland. Over time I've fine-tuned my Crème Brûlée recipe to perfection. The cream is definitely supposed to be the show-stopper. It should be smooth, cool, not overly sweet, not too firm, not runny at all, flavoured slightly (either with vanilla or somthing else, lemon works well but is less traditional of course.) I'm curious what your Parisian one is like.
That's me but with almond croissants
ENFIN un retour vers une série consacrée à une recette française + mon dessert préféré, vraiment royal !!
I've been making my creme brulee in an instant pot on low pressure and the results can also be amazing.
Very interested. Water, rack and in a small low dish…what setting and for how long….does it get condensation?
Me too, didn't think it would work when I read the recipe but I was pretty impressed with the results. 🍮Crème caramel comes out well too.
@@inos3697 It would get condensation on top, but to prevent that you can put a small piece of aluminum foil to cover the top of the ramekhins. I have a 5.7L Instant Pot and can usually fit 4-5 ramekhins if stacked neatly and carefully. A small amount of condensation can still occur even with alu foil, but you can just grab a piece of kitchen towel and gently absorb the residual water.
Interesting idea.
That sound of the caramel cracking is immensely satisfying! Bon appétit!
One thing to experiment with is making caramel, blending it into a sugar/powder and then melting that with the blow torch on top - it's much more consistent in terms of coverage, melting etc. but you may like the inconsistency of the torch + sugar.
It is wonderful of the chef to allow you to have filmed this for all of us to see. It made sense to cook it on a slow heat for a long while, and that I need to get a blow torch now, lol.
Your love for simple yet perfect food never fails to amaze and inspire. Thank you Alex for all your hard work!
I need to say this, but I'm just glad you're coming back to something we can make at home. Because none of us is going to try to make dry pasta at home, or dry meat... and only some of us will try the sauces (Once I have my own house, I might). I have to admit it was interesting to learn about how it is done, but I think we all want to try to do what you show us... Alright now that I think about it I'm scared that you're going to make some crazy contraptions to make crème brûlée !
And then, when the world needed him the most, He returned.
I once saw someone make hard caramel and then blend it back into a fine sugar and use that as their creme brulee top. The idea was that you had a lot more flexibility when bruleeing it since you could go anywhere from when it liquified to when it burns rather than needing to get every part past liquified and to caramelized
By far, I’ve found that the most important part of making Crème Brûlée is how it’s cooked. Most recipes call for a water bath in a very high temperature oven for an exact time. That is dangerous. To produce the proper texture, ANY egg custard needs to be cooked at a precise temperature. That’s what this guy has - a Sous Vide (precision temperature) oven. NOT CHEAP! I’ve done the same thing with my Sous Vide cooker (CHEAP!). I just raised the “floor” of the water bath so the ramekins barely touch the water, preheat to around 180-190F (not that critical), cover each to prevent condensation from “dripping” on them, cover the whole water bath container (to create the “oven”), cook for at least 75 minutes (again, not that critical), and Voilà! The perfect Crème Brûlée ! Every time! (vary ingredients to your liking).
A water bath works fine if you temp check them to 176F. I've even been able to save under done ones by redoing it
@@juts89Thanks for your comments. I've not had any luck with that technique (made famous by Douglas Baldwin), but if you have, Great!
@@tom2207 Always done oven technique and never had a failure. Perhaps I have had non-beginner beginner's luck? ;)
@@christopherkarr1872 Well I have to admit. I cook almost everything in my Sous Vide, so it just comes naturally. Polenta, shrimp (really good!), warm up Cacio e Pepe (or anything), steaks, or meat of any kind. I've even made a Sous Vide smoker. Amazing.
@@tom2207 I use my water bath in much the same way - ramen eggs, medium-rare salmon, chuck roasts as tender as ribeye... I just happen to have never attempted a custard in the sous vide for lack of sous need. I will admit to some liquid smoke antics, though. ^_^
"life is worth being lived" as a culinary enthusiast, this is the best compliment i have ever heard and i wish to reach that level. Thank you for such inspirational video Alex.
I like my creme brulee on the creamy side.
I have my own chickens, I get fresh cream from a dairy farm down the road and I sweeten it with maple syrup that another local farmer makes.
I love it when I can cook things and see where all the ingredients came from out of my kitchen window.
yet the best in the paris uses the best milk, creme and eggyolk from the boxes :)
@@hiddenbunny7205 That's fine for them, I don't live there.
We went and tried this dish last week as we were staying in Paris on a family holiday. OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!!
Raaah, I spent 10 years to master Crème brulée. I've tested so many recipes. Indeed, so simple, but so hard to do oit well.
Anyhow, i'm a bit surprised the "best in paris" is mades from industrial yolk.
Depending on the quality of that industrial yolk i would think a diffrent source may produce a better result but what that industrial carton yolk gives you is consistensy that is very difficult to dubplicate
Am I the only one, who likes to see his ads, because the little 'beep' sound at the beginning and end of it is so oddly satisfying? It's like a reward^^
I’ve actually learned making crème brûlée from your video Alex. I’ve made over a hundred by now I’m sure. It’s one of the only recipes I know by heart (3 egg yolks, 3 tbsp of sugar, 250ml whipped cream, one vanilla pod). I’m dying to make this version now with the added milk, the mixing of the yolks with the cream and the lower temperature! All the best!
I don't know if the lower temperature is going to work in a conventional oven. Restaurant ovens are a lot different and you wont get close to 100% humidity which is probably very important at this low temperature
I make mine au bain-marie in a conventional oven with 1 liter of water (3 flat ramekins) at 160 degrees. I don’t know if I reach 100 degrees humidity or not (not likely right?) but I imagine it to be pretty high. Anyway, there is room to play with lower temperatures I reckon.
Frist time I tried a Crème Brûlée I was 6 years old in Paris and I instantly fell in love with it ! In two years I will move to Paris to expand my cooking experience and skills.
Love your videos @Alex they are a great delight 🤌🏻
Congratulations on expanding your knowledge and passion for cooking. Best of luck and best of meals in Paris. Bon Voyage!
As someone who loves making creme brulee, this makes me unreasonably happy.
Perfecting the burnt sugar on the top takes a lot of skill! It is not as easy as it looks!
My professor insisted that I make creme brulee for my class (graduate level information science). Which is how I ended up taking out my blow torch in the student lounge and finishing the top (I could not see how I could make and transport 20 individual servings, so I made one big one in a tart pan). My torch is not a cute little trigger one from Williams-Sonoma, but an actual propane torch from Home Depot. Flame on!
I am grateful you are taking on creme brulee; it's one of my favorite desserts, and you are so correct that it is simple, but not everyone can do it justice. When it's right, it sings and completes the meal. Merci bien!
I make crème brulee at home fairly often using sealed jars and a sous vide. The custard comes out perfect every time.
Oven with 100% humidity is same as sous vide.
Tip, put whole coffee beans in you cream and let rest for a night. Next day sieve the cream and make you crème brulee as usual.
You're speaking out of my heart. I want to like Creme Brulee but it's ALWAYS bad when I order it. Ususally it's just super bitter because the sugar is burnt. Sometimes the sugar isn't melted at all. It's impossible to find a good one in Germany.
Nice! I have long been hoping that you would do a series of bistro classics. First visiting a restaurant that makes a quintessential example, and then breaking it down, and of course, putting your "Alex-spin" on it for us. A couple of books I have in my kitchen library are Patricia Wells' "The Paris Cookbook - 2001" and Daniel Young's "The Bistros, Brasseries and Wine Bars of Paris - 2006", in which they do exactly that. Together, they are a veritable who's who of the Paris dining scene at that time and of the chefs that influence how we eat in Paris to this day. Videos from you would be so much better. Looking forward to the Crème Brulee series!
6 egg yolks
55g caster sugar
2 vanilla pods
500ml double cream
6 tsp Demerara sugar
Beat the vanilla pod seeds inti the eggs and sugar until the mixture is stiff.
Put the cream and vanilla pods to boil. Whisk onto the egg mix. Return the mix to the pan and cook till custard thick 85°C. Strain into a jug and pour immediately into ramekins. Allow to cool then chill.
Sugar the tops and burn with torch. Easypeasy lemon squeezy 😋
I've been making creme brulee with sous vide after seeing a video from Chef Steps. It seems very similar in texture to this. Though I don't always splurge on a vanilla pod, they are much better with them. Like mentioned it's truly a very simple dessert but in that simple-ness is a difficulty because the ingredients and techniques need to be correct. I found that high heat torches are better for the brulee step, don't use skimpy ones! Good luck, I'm excited to see what you discover in this series.
I do Creme Brûlée sous vide as well. So easy! Perfect texture and so tender.
How do you cook a brulee custard in a vacuum pack bag????
@@djrakman3909 portion into jars.
At 100% humidity the chef in this video is effectively cooking sou vide
@@djrakman3909 Actually I do them in 4oz canning jars. There is no vacuum, just a 176°F water bath for about an hour.
@@austinekenstam744 that makes alot of sense and is a perfect temperature to not curdle the only downfall is you need to tweek the recipe because it has less surface area to spread the sugar which is very important to the final product. Ramekins are fashionable but not as good. Try to use the bowl in this video as that is what we have always used in the top joints. Also tapas bowls. Here is a secret recipe that has been used in many michelin starred places I have worked at in UK and Europe. They all seem to use the exact same recipe and bowl as well. Chefs including marco pieere white and gordon ramsey and Raymond Blanc use this recipe and everybody who has trained under them including myself. Simple ratio. 1 Yolk : 100 ml cream : 10 grams sugar. For every 500 ml cream add 1 Madagascan vanilla pod depending on the size. Or use a good quality Madagascan vanilla essence. Or just use the cheap stuff if you want but remember the quality of all your ingredients effects the final product. No milk required because the vanilla is strong. Use 50/50 if you are weight concious and iff you are using just trim milk you will need to add an extra yolk per 500 ml. 1 X 500 ml batch serves 4 (approx 150 ml). Failsafe, tried and tested by chefs who are have been dead for decades. And use a mix of dried soft brown sugar and caster sugar Or jjust dried brown sugar, you can dry in an oven with pilot light on overnight or use a food dehydrator or set combi to 50 C and dry until it is clearly dry and then blitz to a fine powder. Sieve onto custard. The brown sugar lightens the bitter notes that the caramel produces. I am oldschool and classically trained. Sous vide attains perfection but too many chefs rely on it nowadays and dont learn how to feel the meat as it is cooking and can not do a mains section for 300 on a busy night to save themselves. Smaller establishments you have to do it all, meat, seafood and entremetier all on your own. It is a skill that is becoming long lost....
Crème brulée is my signature desert. Guest riot when I invite for dinner and there is no Crème brulée. This video is the first i have seen where it is done right. Love it!
There's something wonderful about the fact that he has the best creme brulee in Paris... And the yolks come out of a carton 😂
UHT milk and cream and eggs from a carton, this is the best?
@@chrisparky its a bristro in the city and restaurants are expensive.
@@chrisparky also you get the premium vanilla... tick for tack?
@@tbw666 true
Looking forward to this series! I see you also got a new watch congrats Alex 😉
A creme brûlée like the chef said is not a difficult dessert. I can’t say I’ve made one quite to his level (I always use a bain-marie as I don’t have a fancy industrial oven) but I’ve never had a grainy or soggy creme brûlée 😂
Alex, I've watched this video and, two days later, here I am eating this dessert with my friend at this very place.
Thank you for the recommendation! ❤️
Lucky you!
@@borntoexplore982 :3
Really liked your pasta series but im in love with the concept of showing the "simple" Recipes in its perfection ❤ Merci Alex
Why do i feel he's exaggerating like its a simple dessert even if you used the best of the best ingredients the outcome will be the same simple dessert idk but i got tired of that even tho i like his content but after the pasta series i stopped watching him as much
I've done a lot of experimenting with creme brulee and this is almost exactly what I came up with. I never thought to add some cream to the eggs though, that's brilliant.
I also greatly prefer using vanilla bean paste over pods
If you want to branch out from Crème Brûlée, have a look at Crema Catalana - on the surface a similar dish, but actually a very different experience!
Actually, Crema Catalana is just named like that because it was served in Catalonia (Catalana). It used to be called Crema Cremada which is simply Spanish for Creme Brûlée. In short, it's the same dish really.
@@dzello I really appreciate the history of the dish, though according to certain sources crema catalana may actually predate crème brûlée (being found in 14th century cookbooks compared to 17th century)
There are key differences between them now - namely, it being made with milk instead of cream and flavoured with orange, lemon and cinnamon. I thought the same until I tried it - they're obviously very similar, but it's definitely distinct.
I can't wait for your follow up video's. Crème Brulee is definitely in my top two favorite desserts. When I see it on a restaurants dessert menu, it is really hard for me not to choose it over something else that looks delicious.
Creme Brulee is the first dish I perfected. You'll find that it's surprisingly easy to make it better than most michelin starred restaurants; but improving from there will be very challenging!
Good luck!
mind sharing your recipe/instructions? Best!
Sous vide creme brulee - foolproof, simple and as good and usually better than anything else.
I am a big fan of making creme brulee so I am excited to see how this series affects how I make it; it will definitely improve it for sure but how is the question. To note I have not yet been dissatisfied with how I made it but I can visually see some differences in how that restaurant turned out vs. mine. I think I use a greater concentration of egg yolk to cream since the recipe I use is adapted (I speculate) to the consumer vs professional oven.
Interesting, I would think given what the chef said about the cream buffering the yolks against the heat would be a good reason to lean toward the restaurant proportions. If that reasoning is valid then it would make the custard a little thinner than one with more egg but substantially easier to successfully cook without curdling
Thank you Alex and thank you Laurent. I have been doing all my "traditional" stuff like "Flan the huevo", "English pudding", "Crème Brûlée"; aux bain marie having an overpowered oven with the 100% humidity option. The fact is, even though it was faster, it lacked the smoothness of a high quality desert. I'll try to do tests with no water and longer to do them.It's the casual conversation between you two that opened my mind about that thing. Thank you again, I am eager to see your next steps in this journey.
The thing that surprised me the most is that all the major ingredients came out of a box and were not some fancy "best/free range/artisanal" types.
We DID note the price of the vanilla pods? And that professional oven that adjusts its own ‘humidity’ level…
It honestly shouldn't; what matters most in a professional kitchen is consistency of product, rather than using artisanal goods. Sure, if you can get a consistant product out of artisanal goods, that does show a level of skill in and of itself, but it really is just showing how well you can make up for deficiencies in the goods themselves, because they'll never be of a consistant quality.
@@richardnedbalek1968 it’s 55€ for 250g I wouldn’t consider it that expensive for the amount you get
in france the dairy industry is of pretty good quality but the vanillia was something else
@@marekbecker1 Agreed. Ordinary price, might even call it cheap. In the supermarkets here vanilla costs 5 euro a pod. He's got them for maybe 2,50 a pod.
About the oven, well even though Rational is top-notch in the professional industry, the same effect can be done in a home-oven, providing that you find a way to add steam. Problem is probably the consistency of the temperature. Home-ovens tend to be very inconsistent in temperature. Steamer-ovens like this Rational aren't uncommon in the professional industry by the way, at least not in Europe and if Rational isn't there you can see ovens like Leventi or Unox. We had 5 Rationals at my previous workplace, 2 at school and I've seen them on plenty occasions. Steaming isn't one of the 'incredible' features of a Rational though, that is the part where you can set different temperatures at once, bottom at 160, top at 180 for example.
There is a tip that I invented for my restaurant. Don't use sugar on top. Cook caramel separate, pour it on baking sheet, let it cool. It must be hard as glass. Then crush it and blend to fine powder. Use instead of sugar. Melts much easier, doesn't have to be caramelized. So less time in contact with the flame meaning less heat transfer. Perfectly crunchy with cold custard underneath.
simple ratio. 1 Yolk : 100 Mls cream : 10 grams sugar. For every 500 Mls cream add 1 Vanilla pod. 500 Mls batch serve 4. Failsafe. And use a mix of dried soft brown sugar and caster sugar. Sieve onto custard. Use blowtorch...
Although I subscribe to many food-related TH-cam channels, I usually skip all desert related videos because I just don't have a sweet tooth. But only you can peak my interest to follow you on your journey in accomplishing your personal challenges. Highly inspiring & entertaining. I absolutely love it! Bless you, Alex.
Cheers..
The chef makes it the easier way, he has experience and know what he is doing.
You are right about the simplest dishes being the hardest to master. I believe that is because there is nowhere to hide any flaws. Take your Cacio e Peppe for example, you have 5 ingredients total. Water, Salt, Noodle, Cheese, Pepper. If you screw up on any of them its noticeable. over cooked noodles, over/under salted, too much pepper, ETC.
When I was little I stayed in a tiny hotel near Cognac, FR with my parents on our way to our summer holiday.
There I had a Creme Brulee that was so good that I remember dreaming about it back then and nowadays, 20something years later, I still sometimes think about it.
I remember how the restaurant looked and the soup bowl they served it in.
I am sure I have a romanticised the whole experience in my head, but still I have not found a similar quality of Creme Brulee.
Good Creme Brulee can definitely impact your life!
That first bite almost booked me a flight to Paris. Great food and cinematography, as always!
His crème brûlée looks the surface of the Sun! 🌞
I make it almost the same way.. it only takes me around 40 min in the same oven - and we also use different flavours, vanilla, passionfruit, cinnamon, tonka beans, apple, orange, caramel, and so on :)
Greetings from vienna
When I was a chef. A few years ago now. We had a French guy on pastry called William. He still works at the Grims dyke hotel In Harrow. He makes the best crème brûlée I’ve ever had. And yeah it takes way more than 20 mins to cook. If it’s too hot it scrambles. At the end of the day. It is just baked custard :)
the best desert i ever had was in Paris it was a hybrid of Creme Brulee and apple pie. i still dream of it
I'm not even sure what this looks like but I want it!
I recommend this recipe and that you make it sous vide!
I don't think I've had better... oh, and of course use raw cane sugar for the top!
From swedish pastry chef Daniel Roos
Milk (3% )200 gr
Full cream (40%) 400 gr
Vanilla pod 1
Egg yolk 150 gr
Sugar 100 gr (can use 120gr but I think it's too sweet)
Salt 1,5 gr
Boil cream with content from vanilla pod (and the stalks).
Let cool and add yolks and sugar and rest for a night (in fridge)
Sift through sieve, pour and cook in sous vide 83 C for an hour.
Let cool and rest in fridge for 2-4 h and then add raw cane sugar and melt!
I was thinking of adding a splash bourbon to this but we'll see ;)
I find enjoyment in all your series, but now you are tackling my most favorite cuilnary dessert. Can't wait!!
I always sous vide my creme brulee and it comes out perfect every single time
Oh I love that you have your bike helmet dangling around while going down into where the magic happens. Such a great channel
Alex, if you want to make really simple, dummy proof amazing creme brulee.............use sous vide. In the same way that they are using a temp and humidity controlled oven, using sous vide means you don't bother tempering eggs or using a bain marie or anything like that. Throw all the ingredients in, mix, put them in wide mouth jars and cook in the water bath. Then do the brulee in the jar, so it is a bit less elegant to eat and present but it makes them every time perfect. One of my favorite desserts and one of the most common uses for my sous vide machine.
I totally agree with you that Creme Brûlée is a luve and hate desert. The best one I have had is a pumpkin creme Brûlée years ago in a small town in Canada. silky, smooth, with a hint of pumpkin fragrance, perfect crust.
"Au petit riche" was the go to place we sent our clients when I worked in hotel business in Paris. It was just around the corner and a solid culinary experience where we could send our clients to eyes wide shut. Check it out whenever you are in Paris.
Oho! I have been practicing creme brulee, and it's OK. Will definitely try the 90C for 90 mins.
Also, I have noticed that not all brown sugars are the same. Some brands refuse to melt, it's hopeless. I thought I was doing something wrong for many tries, until I tried another sugar, and BAM it worked!
I wonder if it's a difference between invert sugar with molasses added and true brown sugar with the molasses still on it?
Congratulations on moving past dry pasta! It was truly a phenomenal series 👏🏼. Anxious to see all your next directions!
This is the very heart of great food. The complexity of simple. I so enjoy your channel. Thank you.
Bonjour Alex !
petite précision sur un four RATIONAL lors d'une utilisation en mode chaleur tournante
(comme utilisé lors de la cuisson dans ta vidéo)
le 100% indique que le four va conserver 100% de l'humidité dans l'enceinte de cuisson
(plus concrètement le houra de ton four est totalement fermé)
ainsi 100% de l'humidité de ton produit est conservée.
comme toujours merci pour tes vidéos !!
Some chefs put lemon skin and earl grey tea in the infusion with the milk and it's perfect also!
The restaurant where I work I make white chocolate crème brûlée occasionally they are superb when not over cooked
The Chopin in the background makes the final reveal even classier! Awesome video, Alex!
In Portugal we have something very very similar called "Leite de Creme" and it's served in many restaurants and it's common to have it as a dessert in family parties at home. I never had a bad experience making or eating "doce de leite"/creme brulee.
My favorite creme brulee was near the exit of the Paris catacombs. Just across the street. There was a bistro that served lavender brulee. I have never had it so good since.
If using a normal oven, I recommend using a water bath. Fill it with boiling water and put it at 150°C in the oven. 55 Minutes is the right amount of time. I of course never was in the restaurant here, but this way, my Creme Brulee looks more or less the same and behaves the same way dissolving in the mouth like our video guy mentioned. Only downside is I don't know how to stop the top of the creme from becoming slightly brown. But when putting on the caramel, you do not see the top side anyway. The recipe is not mine, I found it and it worked amazing. Never made Creme Brulee before, only ate it in restaurants. Now I can make my favourite dessert all the time :)
You are a true “ Food Researcher”. Love it. Merci beaucoup
You are the only guy in the world I don't speed up to 2x
A truly inspiration
Creme brulee is supposedly english more specifically from cambridge. From what i understand the french stole what was called cambridge burnt creme. Some cambridge chefs many years ago were making custard and burnt it.
Never messed up a cream brûlée somehow, always just mixed the ratio of egg yolks to cream on a double boiler cooked it and it came out fine every time.
What I admire in these video, is that you don't reveal the recipe. I really like that, his hard work of making the recipe, keeping is sacred :)
I got taught many years ago that the sugar should be almost black nearly burnt, so you get a slight bitterness and sharp edges, to contrast the silky sweet custard underneath !
My favourite kitchen dessert of all time.
You always find these experts that make everything look easy, but that's why they're the experts.
Had an amazing creme brulee on a mountain in Chamonix with cappuccino powder in it, perfect sublime coffee taste
It is interesting, when a dessdert is seen as high class and all it needs are some ingredients from tetrapaks and a high-tech oven.
Of course. Skill and knowledge are also key parts on making the perfect dessert.
Who else i enjoying Alex saying "Crem Brule" in French English. I know I am. Salut Alex Love every part of the video.
When I think of @Alex, I don’t think of him as a chef - although he’s become a very good cook. The Skillshare that I’d love to see is his incredible ability to research, learn and the storytelling of his journey. There…there…he is a master. That’s the Skillshare I’d love. I suspect many of us can feel his epiphanies and ah-huh moments through the screen.
A cheerful Frenchman gushing over artisan level cooking, exactly what I needed today :)
I've only ever had one crème brûlée in my life and I didn't really like it. It's clear to me just from watching this video that my experience was tainted by a poor quality of the dish, not because the dish itself is something I don't like. It seems that I will have to revisit my prior judgement. An excuse to try new foods is always welcome though :D
I don't know how Alex does this. He keeps hitting my staple dishes that I make at home (except for dried pasta, but I did find that interesting).
Creme brulee is one of the few things I never order at a restuarant.... because mine is just so much better than whatever I have gotten at a restaurant and they just aren't hard to make.
I'm not a particularly good cook, but I very much like my creme brulee.
Simplicity + Restraint = SUCCESS 👍
The world's best creme brulee is made from boxed egg yolks. Honestly it shouldn't surprise me, they're probably extremely fresh and separating them yourself in the kitchen is a waste of time and then you've got to figure out something to do with probably a hundred kilos of egg whites every day.
We went to Au Petit Riche based on this video. He’s not joking - the crème brulee is incredible there!!
Alex escaped dry pasta hell again, someone put him back in his studio!
Salut Alex! This is your ukrainian viever Dmytro.
I have been to France many-many times, and I was always astonished of Creme Brulee. Obviously I tried to make it at home, and always failed. Until I found a recipe involving Sous vide. Honestly it's just changed the game itself. Recipe becomes 100% foolproof and you always get the same very good result. Maybe you should give it a shot, before torturing yourself with conventional way of cooking this dessert?