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Rhubarb Crème Brûlée
This rhubarb crème brûlée combines the creamy, rich texture of traditional crème brûlée with rhubarb’s tangy, refreshing taste. It’s a perfect dessert that balances sweetness and tartness.
Crème brûlée needs at least 4 hours of chilling time in the fridge, so making the day before serving it is great. Just wait to add the sugar on top of each custard until you’re ready to serve.
I’ve used my roasted rhubarb and orange compote at the base of the custards. Roasting rhubarb with orange and vanilla bean caramelizes it and makes it tangy, sticky, and sweet.
Equipment
- A cook’s blowtorch to give that authentic caramel topping. If you don’t have one, you could also let the sugar melt under the oven broiler for 5-10 minutes, but take care they don’t burn.
- Four 6-ounce ramekins
- A deep roasting dish with high sides
Ingredients
Here’s what you need for this creme brulee recipe. Find the ingredient amounts listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Fresh rhubarb stalks – Choose stalks that are firm, crisp, and have a bright color.
- Sugar – Just granulated white sugar. It’s not too much sugar but enough to cut through rhubarb’s astringency. There’s also a little in the custard and more for the sugar topping.
- Fresh orange juice and orange zest. I use a navel orange, but you could use blood orange or whatever variety you’ve got.
- Vanilla pod, paste, or vanilla extract. I love using vanilla paste made of real vanilla bean pods for amazing flavor in the custard. The vanilla seeds are beautiful in the custard, too.
- Heavy cream – This creates a rich and decadent custard.
- Egg yolks – The egg yolks set the custard and make it oh-so creamy. You can save the egg whites for macarons or meringues!
- Salt – a flavor enhancer.
Method
Rhubarb
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Chop the rhubarb stalks into 1.2 inches/ 3cm pieces.
- Lay them in a baking tray. Sprinkle over the sugar, orange juice, zest, salt, and vanilla, and toss everything together to coat.
- Bake for around 25 minutes until the rhubarb is tender and the orange juice has thickened. Scoop the rhubarb into a bowl and let it cool to room temperature.
Custard
- Lower the oven temperature to 300°F / 150°C. Position a rack in the center.
- Bring a jug of water to the boil and set out four 6-ounce ramekins
- Whisk together egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl.
- Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until just simmering but not boiling, then remove it from heat.
- Gradually stream the hot cream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so the egg yolks don’t curdle. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug.
- Place a heaped tablespoon of the cooled rhubarb compote in the base of each ramekin.
- Place ramekins into a deep roasting pan, then evenly divide the cream mixture on top of the rhubarb.
- Carefully pour hot water into the roasting pan until halfway up the sides of the ramekins, taking care not to splash water into the custard.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until set but still with a slight jiggle to the custard. If the center still looks sloshy, it’s not quite ready. If your rhubarb compote was chilled before being used, the custard may need longer to bake than if the compote was at room temperature, around 40-45 minutes.
- Remove the ramekins from the water bath, cool them to room temperature on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then refrigerate them for at least 4 hours.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle about one tablespoon of sugar evenly over each cold custard.
- Caramelize the sugar with a kitchen blow torch until the sugar has melted and turned a deep golden brown. Allow the caramel to cool, then serve.
- Store any leftover rhubarb compote in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Additional Tips
- Rhubarb Variation: Feel free to experiment with the amount of rhubarb based on your taste preference. Adding strawberries can also create a lovely variation.
- Make Ahead: This creme brûlée can be prepared up to 2 days in advance, making it perfect for dinner parties. Wait to add the sugar topping until serving.
More delicious desserts
Rhubarb Crème Brûlée
Yield:
4
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Cook Time:
1 hour
Additional Time:
4 hours
Total Time:
5 hours 15 minutes
This rhubarb crème brûlée combines the creamy, rich texture of traditional crème brûlée with rhubarb’s tangy, refreshing taste. It’s a perfect dessert that balances sweetness and tartness.
Ingredients
Compote
- 220g (1/2 pound) rhubarb stalks, chopped into 1.2 inches (3 cm) cubes
- 50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 30g (2 tablespoons) fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla paste or extract
- Tiny pinch of salt
Custard
- 360g (1 1/2 cups) heavy cream
- 4 large egg yolks
- 50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar, plus more for topping
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 4 heaped tablespoons of roasted rhubarb compote
Instructions
Rhubarb
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Chop the rhubarb stalks into 1.2 inches/ 3cm pieces.
- Lay them on a baking tray. Sprinkle over the sugar, orange juice, zest, salt, and vanilla, and toss everything together to coat.
- Bake for around 20-25 minutes until the rhubarb is tender and the orange juice has thickened. Let cool to room temperature.
Custard
- Lower the oven temperature to 300°F / 150°C. Position a rack in the center.
- Bring a jug of water to the boil and set out four 6-ounce ramekins
- Whisk egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl.
- Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until just simmering but not boiling, then remove it from heat.
- Gradually stream the hot cream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so the egg yolks don’t curdle. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug.
- Place a heaped tablespoon of the cooled rhubarb compote in the base of each ramekin. Place the ramekins into a deep roasting pan, then evenly divide the custard on top of the rhubarb.
- Carefully pour hot water into the roasting pan until halfway up the sides of the ramekins, taking care not to splash water into the custard.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until set but still with a slight jiggle to the custard. When checking on them, give the roasting pan a gentle shake. If the center of the custards still looks sloshy, they aren't quite ready. If your rhubarb compote was chilled before being used, the custard may need longer to bake than if the compote was at room temperature, around 40-45 minutes.
- Remove the ramekins from the water bath, cool them to room temperature on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then refrigerate them for at least 4 hours.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle about one tablespoon of sugar evenly over each cold custard.
- Caramelize the sugar with a kitchen blow torch until the sugar has melted and turned a deep golden brown. Allow the caramel to cool, then serve.
- Store any leftover rhubarb compote in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
A cook's blowtorch to give that authentic caramel topping. If you don't have one, you could let the sugar melt under the oven broiler for 5-10 minutes, but watch them carefully so they don't burn.
This creme brûlée can be prepared up to 2 days in advance, just hold off with the sugar topping until ready to serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 509Total Fat: 38gSaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 334mgSodium: 166mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 1gSugar: 29gProtein: 10g
This is an informational estimate only. I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist
