This Blood Orange Crème Brûlée recipe is a delightful twist on a classic dessert. Imagine the vibrant color of blood oranges perfectly complementing the creamy custard, all topped with a crunchy layer of caramelized sugar and chopped pistachios. It's the kind of dessert that screams 'sophisticated' but is surprisingly easy to make. I first made this for my mom's birthday, and it was an instant hit! Everyone absolutely loved it.
The recipe balances the tartness of the blood orange with the richness of the custard and the crunch of the pistachios. It's a beautiful balance of textures and tastes—creamy, crunchy, sweet, and tart, all in one bite! This is definitely a recipe to impress your friends and family, or even to just treat yourself on a special occasion! But let's be honest... who needs a special occasion to indulge in something this delightful?
Required Equipments
- 8 ramekins
- medium saucepan
- whisk
- fine-mesh sieve
- rubber spatula
- kitchen torch
Blood-Orange-Creme-Brulee-with-Pistachios
This recipe combines the bright, tart flavors of blood oranges with the creamy richness of a classic crème brûlée, topped with crunchy pistachios for a delightful dessert experience.
⏳ Yield & Time
Yield: 1 servings
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time:
🍽 Ingredients
📖 Instructions
- First, make the custard. In a medium saucepan, gently heat the cream, milk, and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Don't let it boil—we're aiming for a warm, happy cream, not a bubbling inferno!
- Remove from the heat and zest one of the blood oranges into the warm cream. Be gentle—you only want the fragrant outer layer, not the bitter white pith. Trust me, I learned this the hard way once, it was a disaster!
- Lightly whisk in the egg yolks. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to ensure it's smooth and silky smooth. That's the key to a perfect, luscious texture.
- Next, juice your blood oranges. You'll need about 1 cup of juice. If your oranges aren't very juicy, you might need an extra one or two. I've found the amount can vary wildly sometimes.
- Gently whisk the blood orange juice into the strained custard mixture. Try to do this gently, don't be too vigorous or you might end up with bubbles.
- Divide the mixture evenly among eight ramekins. Place the ramekins into a larger baking dish. Pour hot water into the baking dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. This is called a bain-marie and it makes for a super-smooth, melt-in-your-mouth custard.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 325°F (160°C) for 45-50 minutes, or until the custards are just set around the edges. The centers should still have a slight jiggle. If you shake them and it wobbles slightly...you're golden! If they are too jiggly, add another 5-10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let the custards cool completely before covering them with plastic wrap and refrigerating for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight. Patience is a virtue, especially in crème brûlée making.
- Once chilled, sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar over the top of each custard. Using a kitchen torch, carefully caramelize the sugar until golden brown. If you're using a broiler, watch it VERY carefully, those things get hot in a hurry!
- Finally, sprinkle with chopped pistachios and serve immediately. Enjoy! Maybe with a nice cup of tea or coffee. Or even a glass of something stronger. You deserve it!
📝 Notes
- Make sure your ramekins are oven-safe.
- For an even richer flavor, use whole milk instead of 2% or skim milk.
- Don't overbake the custards; they should have a slight jiggle in the center when they're done.
- The caramelized sugar layer will be most appealing if you allow it to cool completely before eating.
- You can easily double or triple this recipe to serve more people. Just keep an eye on cooking time if you increase the size of your batch
🍎 Nutrition
Calories: 300kcal
Protein: 5g
Fat: 18g
Carbohydrates: 30g
Fiber: 1g
Calcium: 100mg
