Creme Brulee Aux Fruits (Creme Brulee with Fruits)

This stovetop creme brulee skips the oven entirely. The custard cooks in a double boiler, which gives you more control over the heat and eliminates the risk of a cracked or curdled bake. Scalded cream tempered into beaten egg yolks, cooked gently until the mixture coats a spoon. That’s your custard, done.

The broiler caramelization trick is clever. Surrounding the chilled custard dish with ice cubes in a larger pan keeps the custard cold while the brown sugar on top melts and crackles under the broiler. You get that signature glassy crust without warming the custard underneath.

Fresh strawberries, pineapple, or peaches served alongside add a bright, tart contrast to all that cream and burnt sugar. Crack through the crust with a spoon and scoop fruit with each bite.

Pro Tips

• Keep the water in the double boiler at a simmer, never a full boil. Boiling water scrambles the yolks and gives the custard a grainy texture.
• The “coats a spoon” test means drawing a line through the custard on the back of a spoon and the line holds. That’s your cue to stop cooking.
• Watch the broiler constantly during caramelization. One minute can go from perfect to charred in seconds.

Variations

• Use a kitchen torch instead of the broiler for more precise sugar caramelization and less heat on the custard.
• Infuse the cream with lavender or orange zest while scalding for a flavored custard base.
• Swap brown sugar for raw turbinado sugar for a crunchier, more crystalline crust.