Using only five simple ingredients, this elegant Irish Cream Creme Brulee can be on your table tonight! While the idea of caramelizing the sugar on top of this smooth custard with a blowtorch is entertaining, these lovely little desserts can be finished just as easily using your oven broiler.
This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship! We are super excited to be working with Eggland’s Best in 2018 to create a dozen delicious sponsored recipe posts to keep you drooling!
It’s been far too many days since the front page has seen a dessert, don’t you think?
And how ’bout it – it’s an Irish-inspired one! So far this week, we’ve come full circle with the St. Paddy’s Day stuff, from the Black Velvet to Shepherd’s Pie to Irish Soda Bread, I’ve basically set up your menu for all the festivities this weekend!
I’ve got ONE MORE delish recipe to share with you later this week, but first, we need to chat all about this Irish-French hybrid crème brûlée!
Make your own Irish Cream Creme Brulee!
Creme brulee: I’ve seriously misjudged you.
This is a dessert that I actually have a spotty past with, and it’s all Abe’s fault.
Storytime! (feel free to skip this if you just want some creamy custard goodness.)
So, way back during our dating days (think 2007-ish), we used to take pretty regular trips an hour North to St. Augustine. We discovered our mutual love of the city early in our relationship, and day trips there became a normal thing. Some days would involve picnics on the fort grounds, others found us wandering aimlessly for hours through the ancient streets.
One thing that was always a constant was our dinner destination. It’s a quirky little Italian place that has two connecting locations – a quick-service storefront is on St. George Street and a full restaurant and Chianti bar parallel on Charlotte Street.
We are serious creatures of habit, and our order is almost always the same. A large “Garbage Can” pizza, a couple of beers for him and a glass of Cab for me, and a tiramisu to split.
This particular day trip was probably our third or fourth, so we had settled into this routine. When the server came back to tell us they were fresh out of tiramisu…I almost cried. They legit have the best one ever – so fluffy and perfectly soaked with espresso. It’s heaven.
Even though we like our routine, we’re also very open to trying new things, so Abe went off-script and ordered a creme brulee.
And he was sorely disappointed. (Which I still find funny since one his fave desserts is flan, and they’re fairly similar as far as ingredients go.) He tends to ramble on humorous tangents when he gets going, and this was no exception.
From that day on, creme brulee was a running joke for us. I tried it that day, also, but I was kind of “meh” about it because I was so amused, focused on his reaction.
Making up with creme brulee.
A few weeks ago, when my Irish cream kick began, I knew I had to give creme brulee another shot. Abe needed convincing that it wasn’t the horror he remembered from the old days. The ingredients used in this rich dessert are always in our fridge and pantry…especially the magic creme brulee ingredient: the eggs.
Abe and I go through a ton of eggs between simple breakfasts on our days off to extravagant desserts for the blog. We’ve tried them all, and we both agree that Eggland’s Best eggs aren’t hype – they really are the best.
We thought we were spoiling ourselves before by buying eggs from a local farmer. Turns out delicious, farm-fresh Eggland’s Best eggs from the store are even better! Plus, compared to ordinary eggs, large Eggland’s Best have 25% less saturated fat and are only 60 calories each – which is comforting when I think about how many we eat in a week.
How to make creme brulee:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Cook over low heat just until simmering. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- In a bowl, combine 3 Eggland’s Best egg yolks, 1/4 cup of Irish cream, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Whisk until well combined. Slowly add ⅓ of the warm cream mixture to temper the eggs, then add the rest and whisk well.
- Divide between 3 6-ounce ramekins and place ramekins in a baking dish. Fill the pan with boiling water halfway up the sides of the ramekins (creating a water bath.) Bake for 40-45 minutes until centers are barely set. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 3-4 hours.
- When ready to serve, top each custard with a teaspoon of the remaining sugar. Turn the ramekin to create an even, thin layer of sugar. Use a kitchen torch to melt and caramelize the sugar until browned to desired color. Cool 5 minutes before serving; serve within two hours.
Caramelizing sugar on creme brulee.
The pièce de résistance of this simple but beautiful dessert is absolutely the caramelized top. That crackly, burnt sugar is not only the yummy crown of crispy caramel texture on this Irish cream creme brulee, it’s also kind of fun to break into!
If you don’t own a kitchen torch, don’t worry! After you’ve chilled the cooked creme brulee and sprinkled on the sugar, pop those babies under your oven broiler for 4-5 minutes. Keep an eye on them and pull them out when they reach the color you’re looking for. Then crack, scoop, and savor the smooth and creamy Irish cream-infused custard underneath.
You’re going to fall for this recipe just like Abe did…I promise.
Do you love farm-fresh Eggland’s Best eggs as much as we do? These other egg-based desserts are right up your alley!
- Pistachio Chai Baked Alaska
- Mini Strawberry Peach Pavlovas
- Hot Chocolate and Toasted Marshmallow Pots de Creme
- Butterscotch Pie with Brown Sugar Meringue
- Lemon Cheesecake Crepes
Irish Cream Creme Brulee
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons + 3 teaspoons superfine sugar separated
- 3 Eggland’s Best egg yolks
- ¼ cup Irish cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small saucepan, combine cream and sugar and cook over low heat just until simmering. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
- In a bowl, combine egg yolks, Irish cream, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined. Slowly add ⅓ of the warm cream mixture to temper the eggs, then add the rest and whisk well.
- Divide between 3 6-ounce ramekins and place ramekins into a baking pan. Fill the pan with boiling water halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 40-45 minutes until centers are barely set. Cool until touchable, then refrigerate for 3-4 hours.
- When ready to serve, top each custard with a teaspoon of sugar, turning the ramekin to create an even, thin layer. Using a kitchen torch, melt and caramelize the sugar until browned to desired color. Cool 5 minutes before serving; serve within two hours.
Jenni Field says
I hear you on being disappointed with creme brulee, Erica. It happens all the time. The secret to excellent creme brulee, besides using the best ingredients, is adding salt. It brings it from flat and sort of boring into full focus, rounding out flavors and making them pop. Salt makes everything taste more like itself, so your eggs will taste eggier, your cream will taste creamier and your sweet will have more character. You will never say “meh” to creme brulee ever again if you add some salt. I promise. And now, I’m off to \make some creme brulee since you’ve inspired me! Also, thanks for featuring the butterscotch pie. That thing is Very Delicious too! xoxo
Megan says
These would be a perfect party dessert served with coffee and a splash of Bailey’s!
Jersey Girl Cooks says
I love the irish crème twist you put on this! Such a decadent dessert!
Megan @ MegUnprocessed says
I’ve never had this before. It looks tasty
Shinee says
one of my all time favorite desserts!! I love the addition of Irish cream!
Richa Gupta says
Brulee is one of those favorites I love anytime and this looks yum!