Sous Vide Lemon and Blueberry Creme Brulee

Crème brûlée is a crowd-pleasing classic French dessert. It can easily be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator then quickly finished at the dinner table, making it a great option for a dinner party dessert. I love the tartness of the lemon and the freshness of the blueberries as a contrast to the sweet, creamy richness of the crème brûlée, but you can change out the flavors as you prefer—lime, coffee, strawberry, coconut, chocolate—the possibilities are endless!

Author

Sous Veats

Carey Copeling created sousveats.com to discuss all things sous vide, from sharing ideas, to recipes and results. Before discovering sous vide, Carey hadn't been that into cooking, aside from BBQing in the backyard. In November 2015, he ordered his Anova and immediately cooked a steak – he was blown away with the results. Since then, his Anova hasn’t gotten a rest. He's cooked everything he can – veggies, fish, chicken, lamb, sausage, pork belly, seafood, beef, more beef, infused beverages, eggs…the list goes on. Sousveats.com was created to share his experience with other passive cooks to see if the sous vide technique can be the conversion point to others as it was for him.

Prep Time: 00:15

Recipe Time: 00:45

Temperature : 195F / 90.6C

Ingredients

• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 1/3 cups superfine sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 3 cups heavy (whipping) cream
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions

1. Set Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 195°F (90.5°C).
2. Using an electric mixer, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Set aside.
3. Pour the cream into a medium saucepan over medium heat and heat to just below boiling point. Be careful not to burn the cream. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla to the cream, stirring as you add the lemon juice to avoid curdling. Simmer over low heat for 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Remove the cream mixture from the heat and cool for 2 to 3 minutes. When cooled, pour a small amount into the egg mixture and whisk to combine. (This tempers the egg mixture so it doesn’t scramble when you pour in the rest of the hot cream mixture.) Pour the remainder of the cream mixture into the eggs and stir to combine.
5. Divide the blueberries evenly among six mini mason jars, then pour the egg-cream mixture over the blueberries, dividing evenly among the jars.
6. Screw on the jar lids to fingertip tightness and place in the water bath, ensuring they are completely submerged. Cook for 45 minutes.

Finishing Steps

1. Remove the jars from the water bath and place in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours or up to 4 days.
2. To serve, remove the lids and sprinkle a thin layer of sugar over the top of the crème brûlée. Caramelize the sugar using a blowtorch.