I am Vietnamese so I love any dessert with pandan in it. I also love crème brûlée so I figured, why not combine both and make it a pandan flavored crème brûlée? The subtle flavor of pandan combined with the sweet and rich custard make this fusion dessert a refined indulgence! As a bonus, it is also very simple to make. Having a get-together? This dessert can easily be made in advance!
This recipe makes between 6-8 portions, depending on the size of your ramekins.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS & TIPS FOR MAKING PANDAN CRÈME BRÛLÉE
Can I use milk or half & half instead of heavy cream? If you want to cut down on the heavy cream, I suggest you use 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of half & half. It will result in a thinner custard that will require a longer chill time. Because of the pandan juice, I do not recommend using milk for this recipe as your custard will not set.
Can I use the broiling setting in the oven instead of using the torch to burn the sugar? If you do not have a blow torch, you can just eat the custard, it will still be delicious! Unfortunately, trying to broil the sugar in the oven will not work. A blow torch is a great kitchen tool so I highly recommend you invest in one…and it is so satisfying to use!
How long can I keep crème brûlée in the fridge? You can keep the crèmes brûlées in the fridge for up to four days. However, you should only torch the sugar once ready to serve.
How to make pandan juice: you can easily make pandan juice by following my pandan juice recipe.
Tasting your pandan juice: I highly recommend you taste your pandan juice before making this recipe or any recipes that require pandan juice. If the pandan leaves are left too long in the refrigerator or if they are not fresh when purchased, your dessert will be very bitter and there is no coming back from that…I learned it the hard way!
Equipment
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 Mixing bowl
- Kettle
- 1 Baking dish for the double bath
- 6 to 8 Ramekins
- Blow torch
Ingredients
- 2 cups or 473 ml heavy cream
- 1 cup or 237 ml pandan juice
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp or 90 g granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 6-8 tsp or 24-32 g caster sugar or granulated sugar for the brûlée part
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- In a small saucepan under medium-low heat, infuse the heavy cream and pandan juice and let it simmer for 15 minutes, just below the boiling point. Turn the heat off and let it cool down for 10 minutes.
- While the pandan and cream mixture cools, boil water in a kettle or saucepan.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar and pinch of salt until the color lightens to a pale yellow.
- Strain the warm pandan cream mixture over the egg yolk mixture and whisk until combined.
- The custard will bake in a double bath. Set ramekins in a baking dish and pour hot water in the dish around the ramekins and fill it to ⅓ but no more than halfway through the baking dish. Pour the custard mixture equally into the ramekins.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the center wobbles a little. Let it cool down and refrigerate for minimum two hours before serving.
- When ready to serve, pour about 1 tsp evenly over the cooled custard and using a blow torch, caramelize the sugar until amber or dark amber.
