Crème Brûlée with Blackberry Coulis

This crème brûlée with blackberry coulis is perfect for the blackberry season and it’s delicious & really fun to make! My son had a birthday recently and it’s crazy to think my youngest child is now 15. Time has flown by and I am so lucky to be my kids’ mom. Since we can’t really do anything or go anywhere very exciting these days, we tried to at least make his birthday as tasty as possible. He had a late breakfast of blueberry pancakes and bacon, some shrimp scampi with a salad for lunch and we all went to his favorite restaurant for dinner. This birthday dessert was a big hit with my entire family, but most importantly, the birthday boy.

How to Make Crème Brûlée with Blackberry Coulis

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle section of the oven. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Make the blackberry coulis by placing the blackberries in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup of the sugar along with the orange juice & zest then cook until the sugar has dissolved, the berries have broken down completely and the mixture starts to thicken, about 12-15 minutes. Let cool it completely. Leave the sauce as is or strain it through a cheesecloth and a fine strainer if you prefer it without seeds.

Pour or ladle a bit of blackberry coulis evenly in the bottom of each ramekin. Place in the freezer to allow it to set a bit.

Combine 2 cups of cream, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Remove the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them to the pan, submerge the vanilla pod in the cream.  Bring the mixture to boil over medium heat then reduce heat to simmer and let steep for 15 minutes to infuse the flavors.

Meanwhile, place a silpat mat (or thin kitchen towel), on the bottom of a large rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Arrange 8 (4-5 oz) ramekins on the silpat mat.  Bring a large kettle of water to boil over high heat.

After the vanilla bean has steeped, stir in the remaining 2 cups of cream to cool the mixture. Whisk the yolks well in a large bowl. Add about 1 cup of the cream mixture into the yolks; whisk until combined; repeat with remaining cream and whisk until evenly colored and thoroughly combined. Strain through the fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher or bowl; discard the solids in the strainer.

Carefully pour or ladle mixture in the ramekins, dividing it equally among them, being careful not to disrupt the coulis.

Carefully place the rimmed baking sheet with the ramekins on the oven rack; pour a kettle of boiling water into the baking pan, being careful not to splash water into the ramekins, until the water reaches two-thirds of the way up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake until the centers of the custards are just barely set and are no longer sloshy. A digital thermometer inserted in the centers should read 170-175 degrees, 30-35 minutes. Begin checking the temperature about 5 minutes before the recommended time.

Transfer the ramekins to a wire rack; cool to room temperature, for about 2 hours. Set the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet, cover them tightly with plastic wrap, and place them in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours.

Uncover the ramekins, if condensation has collected on the custard surface, place a paper towel on the surface to soak up the mixture. Sprinkle the top of each ramekin with about a teaspoon of turbinado sugar; tilt and tap each ramekin for even coverage.

Ignite the kitchen torch and caramelize the sugar carefully. Serve immediately or refrigerate uncovered, to re-chill if desired, 20-30 minutes (but no longer), serve. Enjoy!