Description
A delightful lemon-flavored dessert with a creamy custard topped with a crispy caramelized sugar layer.
Ingredients
Scale
- 480 ml heavy cream
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 30 ml fresh lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
- 50 g granulated sugar (for caramelized topping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 163°C. Arrange 4 to 6 ramekins in a deep baking dish, allowing space between each for a water bath.
- Heat heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming but not boiling. Remove from heat, add lemon zest, and let steep for 5 minutes.
- Whisk egg yolks, granulated sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and lemon juice in a bowl until pale and slightly thickened.
- Gradually pour warm cream into egg mixture, whisking constantly to avoid curdling.
- Strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve to ensure smoothness, then evenly divide among prepared ramekins.
- Pour hot water into the baking dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 30–35 minutes until custards are just set but slightly tremble in the center. Cool in water bath for 10 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Before serving, sprinkle each custard with about 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Use a kitchen torch to melt and caramelize the sugar until golden-brown, or broil briefly under very hot oven if a torch is unavailable.
- Let caramel set for 1 minute. Optionally garnish with fresh berries or mint before serving.
Notes
- Ensure the water bath does not splash into the custards for best results.
- Using a kitchen torch may provide the best caramelization for the topping.
- Letting the custards chill overnight will improve their flavor and texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ramekin
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 16g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 180mg