Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee
This dairy-free, vanilla crème brûlée recipe is made with coconut cream and egg yolks for a rich, creamy custard flecked with vanilla beans and topped with a layer of caramelized sugar for that perfect crème brûlée crack.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 15- ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 1/3 cup Silk heavy whipping cream alternative
- 2 vanilla beans split lengthwise and scraped (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 6 egg yolks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325˚F.
- Steep the vanilla. In a saucepan, combine the coconut milk, dairy free heavy cream, vanilla bean seeds, pods and salt. Bring to a strong simmer over low heat, then immediately remove from heat. Allow the liquid to steep for about 10 minutes. Then, discard the vanilla pod.
- Temper the eggs. Whisk the sugar, egg yolks and salt together until smooth. Then ladle 1/2 cup of the hot coconut milk into the egg mixture and whisk continuously to prevent the eggs from cooking. Repeat with another 1/2 cup of coconut milk. Then, transfer the egg yolk mixture to the saucepan and whisk until smooth.
- Bake the custard. Place 4 ramekins in a large baking dish and divide the liquid between them. Add water to the area surrounding the ramekins until the water reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.Bake the custards for 35 - 40 minutes. The custard should still be jiggly, but the tops should be set enough that they don't seem like they could splash.
- Let them chill. Remove them from the oven. You can remove them from the water bath as soon as they're cool enough to handle.Allow them to rest until they cool to room temperature. Then, transfer to the refrigerator until ready to serve (up to 2 days).
- Caramelize the sugar. Before serving, sprinkle the tops with about 1 teaspoon and use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar.If you don't have a kitchen torch you can also broil the crème brûlée in your oven for 5 - 10 minutes.