In this brief article, we will answer the question, “Is creme brulee gluten-free?” and provide information on what exactly is creme brulee, how to prepare gluten-free creme brulee as well as commercial brands of creme brulee that are gluten-free and not gluten-free.
Is creme brulee gluten-free?
Yes, creme brulee is gluten-free. Traditionally, creme brulee is prepared using vanilla, sugar, eggs, water, and cream. However, commercially prepared creme brulees might contain gluten.
What exactly is creme brulee?
Creme brulee is a baked custard that has a creamy consistency. Usually, the sugar crust present in creme brulee can be warm but the custard is served cold.
Creme brulee can be topped with caramel or fruits. Usually, vanilla is added to prepare creme brulee.
Creme brulee has a both creamy and crispy texture. The sugar crust has a crispy texture whereas the custard present beneath the sugar crust is creamy.
How to make gluten-free creme brulee?
- Preheat the oven to a temperature of 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a saucepan, add a quart of heavy cream, one split vanilla bean, and the pulp of the vanilla bean. Place them over medium heat and wait for them to boil.
Once it has been boiled, switch off the heat and cover them for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla beans and keep them aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix ½ cup of sugar along with 5 big egg yolks. Whisk them well till a light yellow color is obtained. Add the cream and stir in between.
- Once you have finished adding cream, transfer the mixture to 8-ounce ramekins. Place the ramekins in a baking pan.
- Pour hot water inside the ramekins and place them inside the oven. Bake them for a period of 40-45 minutes.
- Remove the ramekins from the oven and keep them in the fridge for 2-3 hours. You can also keep them for up to 3 days.
- Remove the ramekins from the fridge. After 30 minutes, add ½ cup of sugar evenly to all the ramekins. Use a torch to melt the sugar. Let them remain at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.
What are some tips to make creme brulee?
- When the cream is being added to egg yolks, make sure to slowly add the cream. This is because the egg yolk mixture can be at room temperature whereas the cream can be extremely hot.
If you do this gently, you will obtain a smooth cream and egg mixture. However, if the mixture looks like scrambled eggs, you need to start adding cream again. Make sure to mix the cream and egg mixture properly to remove any traces of eggs.
- You can use a hot water bath to cook the custard. The baking pan can be filled with warm water to reduce the cooking time of creme brulee.
- If you do not want to end up overcooking the custard, make sure to keep ramekins on top of a tea towel. This will prevent the custard from getting overheated.
- While adding sugar on top, keep in mind to not add too much or too little sugar. If very little sugar is added, it can dissolve into the custard. Adding too much sugar can cause the crust to burn.
What are some commercial brands of gluten-free creme brulee?
- Favorite day creme brulee is a popular brand of creme brulee that can be bought at Target. Some of the ingredients present in them are cream, eggs, sugar, rice starch, egg yolks, rice starch, and xanthan gum.
- Dr. Oetker’s creme brulee contains ingredients like brown sugar, whey, cornstarch, egg yolks, cream, artificial flavors, soy lecithin, non-fat milk, and preservatives.
- Reina can be a creme brulee brand present in Spain. Some of the ingredients present in them are egg yolk, skim milk, sugar, caramelized sugar, flavorings, colorings, and modified starch.
- Toscano is a gluten-free brand that you can use to prepare creme brulee. It offers many other gluten-free products too. Some of the ingredients present in Toscano are eggs, cream, sugar, caramel topping, egg yolk, and natural vanilla flavorings.
- Macaphie is a Scottish brand that provides gluten-free creme brulee. Some of the ingredients present in Macaphie are skimmed milk, sugar, milk protein, vegetable oil, butter, egg yolk, and modified starch.
Which commercial brand of creme brulee has gluten?
- Rians creme brulee has a yummy flavor with a caramel-based topping. Some of the ingredients present in them are eggs, egg yolk, sugar, vanilla flavoring, sugar, and cow’s milk cream.
However, it contains gluten because the caramel topping has traces of gluten present in them.
Conclusion
In this brief article, we have answered the question, “Is creme brulee gluten-free?” and provided information on what exactly is creme brulee, how to prepare gluten-free creme brulee as well as commercial brands of creme brulee that are gluten-free and not gluten-free.
