Creme Brulee Topping

Asked by Dibail. Answered on 27th October 2014

Full question

Hi. I have a query about the topping on Nigella's Creme Brulee. When the recipe says to melt the sugar, is it supposed to be a hard toffee? I first used the grill and the topping was still soft and then I bought a blow torch and it set, but not toffee. I used both castor and demerara sugar. When I had it in a restaurant, it was hard toffee. Thanks.

Our answer

Nigella's Creme Brulee (from Nigella Bites and on the Nigella website) uses demerara sugar and a blow torch to melt the sugar on top of the creme brulee custard. We would aim for the sugar to be crisp and caramelized, so that it snaps when you break through it, rather than necessarily a chewy toffee. Demerara sugar has a slightly caramel flavour and so we prefer it to caster sugar, but it is best just to use one type of sugar as the size of the crystals should be the same so that they melt evenly.

Unfortunately most domestic grills (broilers) are not powerful enough to caramelize the sugar properly, so a cook's torch (a mini blow torch) is preferable. You should hold the torch between 2.5 to 5 cm (1-2 inches) away from the sugar and for long enough so that the sugar melts and blisters slightly. Start further away and then move closer as you get used to using the torch. If you hold it too close then the sugar will just burn.