Reinvent a classic with our Earl Grey Creme Brulee. The fragrant tea adds a unique twist to the creamy custard, all under a perfectly caramelized sugar top, for a memorable dessert experience.
Dive into dessert bliss with our Earl Grey Crème Brûlée—a fancy-sounding treat that’s surprisingly easy to whip up. It’s a creamy custard infused with the aromatic charm of Earl Grey tea, topped with a crackly sugar crust.
It’s like your favorite cozy tea time turned into a luxurious dessert adventure. So, whether you’re impressing guests or just treating yourself, get ready for a spoonful of velvety goodness with a hint of tea sophistication—because dessert should always be this delightful.
Table of Contents
Reasons to Love This Creme Brulee
- The contrast between the creamy custard and the crunchy caramelized top offers a delightful textural experience.
- Earl Grey Cream Brulee pairs wonderfully with a variety of beverages.
- It’s a creative way for tea enthusiasts to enjoy their favorite Earl Grey flavor in a dessert form.
- It hits the spot for both tea cravings and dessert desires.
Recipe Ingredients
- Heavy Cream: It forms the rich, creamy base of the creme brulee.
- Vanilla Bean or Vanilla Extract: Adds a classic, sweet flavor that complements the Earl Grey tea.
- Earl Grey Tea: The key ingredient that infuses the dessert with its unique citrusy and floral notes.
- Egg Yolks: Provide the custard texture and richness to the dessert.
- Sugar: Used both in the custard mixture and as a topping to create the signature caramelized crust.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Tea Variation: While Earl Grey tea offers a classic citrusy and floral flavor, feel free to experiment with other tea varieties for a unique twist. Consider using Chamomile for a subtle, apple-like taste, Jasmine for a sweet, fragrant note, or Chai for a warm, spiced flavor.
- Cinnamon Sugar Topping: Mix cinnamon with the topping sugar for a spiced crust.
- Demerara Sugar: Use Demerara sugar for topping to add a crunchy texture and rich molasses flavor.
- Lemon Zest: Garnish with lemon zest to complement the Earl Grey and add a fresh note.
How to Make Earl Grey Creme Brulee
Step #1: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (163 degrees Celsius).
Step #2: Slice your vanilla bean lengthwise with the tip of a very sharp knife, just deep enough to puncture the top exterior (not all the way through to the cutting board). Turn your knife over, and using the flat back edge, scrape the vanilla bean from top to bottom lengthwise to extract all of the delicious caviar.
Step #3: Combine the vanilla caviar, cream, and tea bags in a heavy saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
Step #4: Heat a few cups of water to a near boil either on the stove or in the microwave.
Step #5: Whip together the egg yolks and ½ cup of sugar until they become thick and pale yellow in color. This is best done in a stand mixer, so you have an extra hand for the next step.
Step #6: Once the tea has steeped in the cream for ten minutes, remove the tea bags and discard them.
Step #7: Very slowly, drizzle ½ cup of warm cream mixture into the egg yolks with the mixer beating the yolks on medium-low speed. Once you’ve added the first ½ cup, you can add the rest of the cream mixture slowly. Mix until combined.
Step #8: Place four crème brûlée ramekins into a high rimmed baking sheet or glass baking dish. Divide the mixture evenly among the ramekins.
Step #9: Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and pour the near-boiling water into the bottom of the baking pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the dishes.
Step #10: Bake for 30 minutes or until set. The custard will be quite wobbly and will jiggle from side to side when nudged. It should not be liquid in the center.
Step #11: Remove the ramekins from the pan (do not try to take the whole pan out with the extremely hot water sloshing from side to side). I’ve found that the best way for me is to use a stiff pancake turner. Cool the ramekins on a cooling rack until cool enough to touch.
Step #12: Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours.
Step #13: When you are ready to serve the crème brûlée, take the ramekins out of the fridge, uncover them, and sprinkle a fine layer of sugar over their tops. You want to get an even layer of sugar over the whole surface, so you may need to tilt, wiggle, and shake the dish to get the sugar to spread out. Tap out any excess sugar. Ignite a culinary torch and hold it near the ramekin so the flame is parallel to the surface of the custard. You want the heat from the flame to be very close to the sugar so it caramelizes, but not directly in contact with it, or it will burn. Move the torch around the surface of the custard in a slow, even motion so as not to burn the sugar. Caramelize the surface of all four crème brûlées. Serve immediately.
Expert Tips
- Whisk Thoroughly: Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick for a creamy texture.
- Avoid Overmixing: Mix just until combined to prevent incorporating too much air, which can cause bubbles in the custard.
- Controlled Torch Use: Use a kitchen torch carefully to caramelize the sugar, moving evenly around the surface for consistent browning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, decaffeinated Earl Grey works well and won’t alter the flavor profile of the creme brulee.
It’s set when it’s still slightly wobbly in the center but not liquid. It will firm up after chilling.
Yes, you can caramelize the sugar under a preheated broiler but watch closely to prevent burning.
Use a thin, even layer of sugar and caramelize with a torch or broiler until golden brown.
Gently heat the cream and temper the egg yolks slowly to avoid sudden temperature changes.
Storage Info
To store Earl Grey Crème Brûlée, carefully cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate. You can keep this dessert for up to three days, maintaining its freshness and flavor when properly stored in the refrigerator.
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Earl Grey Creme Brulee Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 cups 1 pint of heavy cream
- 1 whole vanilla bean - or 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 4 Earl Grey tea bags
- 5 whole egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar - for the creme brulee
- ⅛ cup sugar - for the topping
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (163 degrees Celsius).
- Slice your vanilla bean lengthwise with the tip of a very sharp knife, just deep enough to puncture the top exterior (not all the way through to the cutting board). Turn your knife over, and using the flat back edge, scrape the vanilla bean from top to bottom lengthwise to extract all of the delicious caviar.
- Combine the vanilla caviar, cream, and tea bags in a heavy saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
- Heat a few cups of water to a near boil either on the stove or in the microwave.
- Whip together the egg yolks and the ½ cup of sugar until they become thick and pale yellow in color. This is best done in a stand mixer, so you have an extra hand for the next step.
- Once the tea has steeped in the cream for ten minutes, remove the tea bags and discard them.
- Very slowly, drizzle ½ cup of warm cream mixture into the egg yolks with the mixer beating the yolks on medium-low speed. Once you've added the first ½ cup, you can add the rest of the cream mixture slowly. Mix until combined.
- Place four crème brûlée ramekins into a high rimmed baking sheet or glass baking dish. Divide the mixture evenly among the ramekins.
- Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and pour the near-boiling water into the bottom of the baking pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the dishes.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until set. The custard will be quite wobbly and will jiggle from side to side when nudged. It should not be liquid in the center.
- Remove the ramekins from the pan (do not try to take the whole pan out with the extremely hot water sloshing from side to side). I've found that the best way for me is to use a stiff pancake turner. Cool the ramekins on a cooling rack until cool enough to touch.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours.
- When you are ready to serve the crème brûlée, take the ramekins out of the fridge, uncover them, and sprinkle a fine layer of sugar over their tops. You want to get an even layer of sugar over the whole surface, so you may need to tilt, wiggle, and shake the dish to get the sugar to spread out. Tap out any excess sugar. Ignite a culinary torch and hold it near the ramekin so the flame is parallel to the surface of the custard. You want the heat from the flame to be very close to the sugar so it caramelizes, but not directly in contact with it, or it will burn. Move the torch around the surface of the custard in a slow, even motion so as not to burn the sugar. Caramelize the surface of all four crème brûlées. Serve immediately.
NOTES
Nutrition
YUM! I was surprised how easy it was—turned out super smooth and creamy.
I am generally a sugar lover and so when I saw someone else comment that this was too sweet, I ignored them! As someone who can eat buttercream with a spoon with no aversion, there was just too much sugar in this for me. Maybe I missed something but 150g of sugar in the custard was too much. Most other recipes have 100g in for this much eggs/cream. I will have to try it again and set some of the sugar aside for the top rather than it all in the custard!
My go-to creme brulee has 1/2 cup in the cream and 1/4 for the topping and it turns out great. Perhaps the author just forgot the “3/4 cup sugar, divided” part.
Lindsay and Caryl, thanks for your comments. I agree that it is a little sweet, so I have updated the recipe to have 1/2 cup sugar in the creme brulee and 1/8 of a cup for the topping.