How to Decorate Creme Brulee

Deliciously rich and creamy creme brulee is a decadent and beautiful dessert all on its own, but adding a few decorative elements can elevate it even further. Since you still want that hard sugar crust to be visible so you can crack your spoon into it, use a light hand when it comes to decorations. Some well-placed berries, a bit of shaved chocolate, or a lightweight nest made of spun sugar will look elegant and add a nice supplemental flavor to the dessert.

[Edit]Ingredients

[Edit]Spun Sugar Nest

• 2 1/2 cups (500 grams) of granulated sugar
• of corn syrup
• of water

Makes 4 nests

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Caramelized Sugar Top

1. Sprinkle the top of the baked and cooled custard with granulated sugar. Spread the sugar over the top as evenly as possible to create a thin, solid crust. Wait to do this until right before you’re ready to serve dessert. If you do it more than 30 minutes ahead of time, there’s a chance the crust will soften and lose its crunch.^[1]
   
   
   
   • Some chefs prefer turbinado sugar because it melts easily, but granulated sugar works perfectly fine.^[2]
2. Move a kitchen blowtorch back and forth over the sugar until it caramelizes. Don’t hold the blowtorch still in one place—instead, keep it moving and go over the whole creme brulee multiple times until all of the sugar is brown and hard. Keep the flame close to the sugar as you work.^[3]
   
   
   • If you don’t have a blowtorch, don’t despair! Use your oven’s broiler instead. Put a wire rack at the very top of your oven and turn the broiler to high. Once it’s hot, put the creme brulee on the rack and bake it until the sugar caramelizes. Keep a close eye on it—depending on your oven, it may only take a few minutes.^[4]
3. Let the brulee rest for 3-5 minutes so the sugar crust hardens.^[5] Just a few minutes on the counter should do it, though you could even pop the creme brulee into the fridge for up to 30 minutes. This rest time is essential to getting that great crack when you break through the surface to get to the custard.^[6]
   
   • Once the caramelized crust hardens, you’re ready to add any other decorations you want to use.

[Edit]Fruits and Fun Toppings

1. Top your dessert with beautiful berries for a tart, aesthetically-pleasing effect. Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries—feel free to mix and match different varieties for your creme brulee decorations. Whichever berries you decide to use, make sure to leave part of the brulee’s surface visible, so it’s easy to crack into. Here are some fun ways you can arrange your berries:^[7]
   
   • Make concentric circles or a spiral going out from the center for a more traditional vibe.
   • Spread berries over half of the creme brulee for a modern look.
   • Cluster berries in the center for a minimalistic aesthetic.
   • For additional flavor and sweetness, toss your fresh berries with brown sugar and raspberry liqueur before using them to decorate your creme brulee.^[8]
2. Give your creme brulee a tropical flavor with diced mango. Pile a few pieces of mango in the center of the creme brulee. Or, thinly slice the mango and layer the pieces around the edge of the dessert for a pretty presentation.^[9]
   
   • Pineapple and papaya are other tropical fruits that would work well.
3. Sprinkle crushed pistachios over the top to add a crunchy texture. You can use raw or roasted pistachios—just make sure to remove the shell if that hasn’t already been done! Rough chop them with a chef’s knife and add a small handful to each creme brulee. Along with adding crunch, the green color adds a nice visual to your dessert.^[10]
   
   • Be careful to check for nut allergies if you’re making dessert for guests or a party! Make a few creme brulees sans nuts, just in case.
4. Add delicate chocolate shavings for a slightly bitter note. The bitterness of chocolate (especially dark chocolate) plays well with the creaminess and richness of creme brulee. Use a vegetable peeler or cheese grater to shave pieces off of a chunk of chocolate. Sprinkle the shavings over the creme brulee, or pile a few pieces in the center or off to one side.^[11]
   
   • Make your presentation a little more artistic with chocolate curls. Use a vegetable peeler to shave long, wide pieces of chocolate off of a bigger chunk—the deeper you shave, the bigger the curl!^[12]
5. Balance a few ladyfingers along the edge of the dish as an added treat. Creme brulee and ladyfingers are delicious desserts when eaten on their own. Put them together, and the ladyfingers transform into a dunk-able accompaniment to the rich creme brulee.^[13]
   
   • Add a little mint garnish for a pop of color and dash of fresh flavor.
6. Add an elegant touch to your creme brulee with edible flowers. This is a simple decoration that adds a lot of color and sophistication to your dessert. Place a few flowers in the center of the creme brulee, or arrange them off to one side.^[14]
   
   • Always double-check that the flowers you’re using are safe to eat. On some blooms, the petals are safe but the stems aren’t, or vice versa.^[15]
   • Place the flowers in a strainer, rinse them with clean water, and let them dry on a paper towel before using them.^[16]
   • Some commonly used edible flowers are begonias, carnations, daylilies, hibiscus, impatiens, lilac, pansies, and violets.^[17]
7. Use fondant to shape whimsical creatures to transform your creme brulee. Imagine—the flat pane of your creme brulee is a stage on which you can create any scene or landscape that you like. This is a great way to make themed desserts for a party! Make crabs for a sea theme, owls for a forest theme, or hearts for a romance theme.^[18]
   
   • If you want something a little simpler, make flowers out of fondant or punch out small circles to make polka dots over the surface of the creme brulee.

[Edit]Spun Sugar Nest

1. Create a sugar-spinning station with wooden dowels on your countertop. Take 3-4 wooden dowels (wooden spoons work just fine, too), and lay them on the counter apart. Position them so their ends extend out past the edge of the counter. Put something heavy on top of the ends still on the counter, or use tape to hold them in place. You’ll use this little station to catch the sugar as you “spin” it later on!^[19]
   
   • Lay a dishtowel near the station, too, so you have somewhere to set the pot once you’re ready to start spinning.
   • Once the sugar is ready, you won’t have time to prep your dowel station. Get it ready beforehand so that the sugar-spinning process is as smooth as possible.
   • You may also want to lay a piece of foil or parchment paper on the ground beneath the dowels to protect the floor from the spun sugar, which is a pain to remove once it hardens.
2. Prep an ice bath in a bowl that’s large enough to fit a small saucepan. Test that the bowl is big enough by putting the pan you plan to use in it. It should nestle inside without going to low that water will spill into it. Fill the bowl 2/3 full with ice and cold water, and set the bowl next to your stovetop.^[20]
   
   • It won’t matter if the ice starts to melt while you’re preparing the sugar. The water will still be cold enough to do its job.
3. Add the granulated sugar, corn syrup, and water to a small saucepan. Use 2 1/2 cups (500 grams) of sugar, of corn syrup, and of water. Try to pour the sugar directly into the middle of the pot; pouring slowly gives you more control versus dumping the entire amount in at once.^[21]
   
   
   • Be careful not to get sugar on the sides of the pot. If you do, use a wet pastry brush to wipe the sides down. If you don’t wipe them off, those sugar grains will crystallize and ruin the spun sugar's consistency.
4. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. As you go, continue wiping the sides of the saucepan down with a wet pastry brush to keep the sugar along the sides from crystallizing. Don’t stir the contents of the pan, though! Just let the mixture heat up and keep a close eye on it.^[22]
   
   
   • Even professional bakers mess up spun sugar sometimes! Don’t worry if it takes a few attempts before you get it right.
5. Let the temperature rise for 6-12 minutes until it hits . Get your candy thermometer in place and keep a close eye on it. The temperature can rise very quickly at certain stages, so you really can’t risk turning away for a few minutes.^[23]
   
   • Some candy thermometers clip to the side of the pan. If yours doesn’t, slide the end through a slotted spatula and balance the spatula over the pot to hold it in place. This should protect you from steam burns!
6. Chill the pan in the ice bath for 45 seconds to bring the temperature down. As soon as the candy thermometer reads , transfer the pan to the ice bath. Make sure to use oven mitts so you don’t burn your hands. Count to 45, then remove the pan and put it on a dishtowel near your dowel station.^[24]
   
   
   • If the sugar keeps getting hotter, it’ll harden and be impossible to work with. You need it to reach a high temp but then go no further, hence the ice bath.
7. Cool the pan out of the ice bath for an additional 45 seconds. As the sugar cools, it’ll thicken. Use a fork to test the consistency—you want it to be as thick as honey before you start spinning it.^[25]
   
   • As you go and the mixture does start to harden, reheat it occasionally, so it maintains that honey-like thickness. At this stage, pay more attention to the consistency than to the actual temperature.^[26]
8. Dip a fork in the sugar and whip it back and forth over the wooden dowels. You’ll be super happy you already have your dowel station set up! As the sugar leaves the fork and hits the air, it’ll harden slightly, creating nice, thin strands of spun sugar. Keep doing this over and over again until you have enough strands to make a nest for your creme brulee.^[27]
   
   
   • The texture of the strands is malleable yet firm enough to hold a shape. It’s a cool process and technique you can use to create sugar decorations for all kinds of desserts.
9. Use your fingers to mold the strands of spun sugar into a small nest. Once the strands are cool enough to touch, push them up to release them from the dowels. Some might break, but that’s okay. Gently bundle them into the shape of a nest. Make as many as you need for your creme brulees. Pop the finished nests onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.^[28]
   
   • Make tiny little nests or several big ones.
10. Decorate your creme brulee with a spun sugar nest. Once the creme brulee is ready, gently place a sugar nest into the center. If you want, arrange a few fresh berries around the edge or inside the nest for a pop of color.^[29]
    
    • This decoration is eye-catching and elegant. The sugar melts in your mouth, adding some extra sweetness to the dessert.
    • This particular recipe makes enough for 4 moderately-sized sugar nests.

[Edit]Tips

• Creme brulee needs time to bake and chill before you can temper the top layer of sugar to make the delicious crust. Use that time to prep your decorative element!^[30]

[Edit]Things You’ll Need

[Edit]Spun Sugar Nest

• Small saucepan
• Pastry brush
• Parchment paper
• Aluminum foil
• Candy thermometer
• 3-4 wooden dowels
• Oven mitts
• Dishtowel
• Sheet tray

[Edit]References

1. ↑ https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/09/french-in-a-flash-classic-vanilla-bean-creme.html
2. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/classic-creme-brulee
3. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/classic-creme-brulee
4. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/three-ways-to-create-a-sugar-crust-on-homemade-crme-brle-165988
5. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/classic-creme-brulee
6. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/three-ways-to-create-a-sugar-crust-on-homemade-crme-brle-165988
7. ↑ https://www.deliciousmeetshealthy.com/creme-brulee-fresh-berries/
8. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/creme-brulee-with-berries-108588
9. ↑ https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/05/lemon-vanilla-creme-brulee-with-fresh-mango-t.html
10. ↑ https://cravingsjournal.com/chocolate-creme-brulee/
11. ↑ https://cravingsjournal.com/chocolate-creme-brulee/
12. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-chocolate-curls-41249
13. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/bitter-orange-creme-brulee-361549
14. ↑ https://youtu.be/Aih59U6_b6o?t=224
15. ↑ https://whatscookingamerica.net/EdibleFlowers/EdibleFlowersMain.htm
16. ↑ https://whatscookingamerica.net/EdibleFlowers/EdibleFlowersMain.htm
17. ↑ https://whatscookingamerica.net/EdibleFlowers/EdibleFlowersMain.htm
18. ↑ https://youtu.be/IveatyEqMek?t=482
19. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-spin-sugar-for-delightf-117310
20. ↑ https://sweets.seriouseats.com/2011/08/technique-of-the-week-spun-sugar-slideshow.html
21. ↑ https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/spun-sugar-recipe-2107466
22. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-spin-sugar-for-delightf-117310
23. ↑ https://sweets.seriouseats.com/2011/08/technique-of-the-week-spun-sugar-slideshow.html
24. ↑ https://sweets.seriouseats.com/2011/08/technique-of-the-week-spun-sugar-slideshow.html
25. ↑ https://sweets.seriouseats.com/2011/08/technique-of-the-week-spun-sugar-slideshow.html
26. ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/frozen-cranberry-souffle-with-spun-sugar-cranberry-wreath-10938
27. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-spin-sugar-for-delightf-117310
28. ↑ https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/08/how-to-make-spun-sugar-recipe.html
29. ↑ https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/08/how-to-make-spun-sugar-recipe.html
30. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-creme-brulee-at-home-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-139072