Crème Brûlée

Crème brûlée is a silky baked custard chilled until set, topped with a thin layer of sugar burnt to a hard, glass-like crust just before serving. It's the dessert that lives or dies on the crack of a spoon — the sound and resistance of that first break is as much the point as the flavour underneath it.

What it actually is

Egg yolks, cream, sugar and vanilla are whisked together and baked very gently in individual dishes set in a water bath, which keeps the custard from curdling or turning grainy as it sets. Once baked and fully chilled, an even layer of sugar is spread over the top and caramelized with a torch or under a broiler just before serving, turning it into a thin, hard, amber shell in a matter of seconds.

The timing of that final step matters more than almost anything else in the dish: brûlée it too far ahead and the sugar shell softens and weeps into the custard underneath, losing the sharp crack that defines the dessert.

How it's served

• In its own ramekin, straight from the torch, the sugar crust still warm on top of a chilled custard.
• Immediately after caramelizing, never held, since the crust doesn't stay crisp for long.
• Plain, without garnish, letting the contrast between hot crust and cold custard stand on its own.

Writing it on a menu

• Flag egg and dairy; the custard base carries both.
• Say that it's finished to order, the sugar caramelized right before serving, since that timing is central to the dish.
• Note if you flavour it beyond vanilla — citrus, coffee, lavender — since regulars often have a preference for the classic version.
• Mention that the crust should crack cleanly when tapped with a spoon; a soft or weepy top means it sat too long after brûlée-ing.