Sometimes I just get that feeling that I want something sweet. Something indulgent, something creamy, and something dreamy. This dulce de leche creme brulee is nothing new, I am not trying to recreate a bicycle. I decided to use some of the dulce de leche condensed milk which I had in my fridge. It has that deep sugar and milk taste that you just can’t get from anything else. You can feel those hours it took to make it. It has such a depth of flavor, that cannot be substituted. Slowly cooked sugar and milk, caramelizing in a contained manner, it truly is wonderful. This dessert is just my way of using this pantry staple.
There are many dulce de leche recipes out there. As there are many creme brulee recipes, this dulce de leche creme brulee is truly decadent and a showstopper. Dulce de leche caramel gives this dessert the depth of flavor it really needs and makes it extra creamy. In the summertime, I would serve it with some fresh berries to cut the sweetness with some acidity. Try this dessert for Valentines day to truly show your love.
The rest of this dulce de leche creme brulee is pretty simple and straightforward. Just
egg yolks, mixed with sugar, hot heavy cream, and dulce de leche caramel. While working on the recipe, I found the perfect ratio and added some cornstarch which is often used. Instead, you can use 2 more yolks. When I get my hands on eggs from the countryside, I use them lavishly and enjoy as many eggs, yolks, whites as I wish in any dish. But if I am cooking with basic storebought eggs, I often go lighter and use something else. But this is your choice.
You could make dulce de leche creme brulee in any kind of ramekins or cups you wish, most are oven safe. If not sure, don’t use them. These are your everyday run-of-the-mill ramekins used for creme brulee and fondant mostly. I find that they truly are the perfect size for such an indulgent dessert. The size of your ramekins will change the cooking time, if I were to use 3 larger ones, I would have to add about 15 minutes. But the main indicator is how jiggly your creme brulee is.
After you have filled your ramekins and filled your pan with water 1/2 up the sides of each ramekin, it is time to bake. 30-35 minutes should do, but, again, do test them. After they have done cooking, remove them from the oven and let them cool for 30 minutes before putting them in the fridge.
The last step is to brulee the sugar that is on top. For this, I highly recommend using white, castor, or slightly powdered sugar. But plain white sugar works great. Just try not to burn it.
Dulce de leche creme brulee
Equipment
- Culinary torch
Ingredients
- 400 ml heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 egg yolks
- 100 g dulce de leche
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 60 g sugar + more for caramelization
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 160°C
- Boil a kettle of water
- In a small pot heat the heavy cream with the vanilla extract until it starts to steam and rise, imediately remove from heat
- In a bowl beat the egg yolks, sugar and the dulce de leche until creamy and almost no sugar granules can be felt
- Keep beating using a hand mixer and slowly start to pour in the hot cream
- Add the cornstarch and mix
- Pour into your ramekins and place them in a pan
- Add the hot water and place in your oven
- Cook for 35 minutes and check by jiggling the pan, if it seems too runny, cook for 10 more minutes
- Let cool completely once ready
- Scatter a tablespoon of sugar on top of the creme brulee and burn using a culinary torch
- Further away from the sugar will result in better caramel, closer, more burnt
- Take a spoon and lightly whack the caramel and enjoy your dessert