What is Creme Brulee?
Creme brulee is a type of custard dessert made using egg yolks, cream, sugar, and vanilla. The exact origins of this dish are unclear. This treat is famous because it is usually topped with brown sugar – a layer that is later caramelised to a crisp, most dramatically with a blowtorch. The dish is generally served chilled, which contrasts with the heated top layer – leading to a play of textures in your mouth. Crema Catalana, a Catalan dish, is quite similar to Creme Brulee. The key difference is that the former traditionally contains milk and not cream.
Flan generally refers to a sweet custard-like dessert topped with caramel. Many times, the names “flan,” “caramel pudding” and “creme caramel” may be used interchangeably. Different regions have their own variations of flan. In some places, you will also find savoury flans with vegetables, eggs and even bacon. It is believed that flan as a dish originated in ancient Rome. It is also said that it was the Spaniards who first topped it with caramel.
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The classic baked custard made with sugar and thickened with egg yolks and cream is famously topped with sugar that’s torched or broiled to form a hard caramel crust. This basic crème brûlée just uses light and heavy creams, sugar, vanilla, and yolks. Swap in vanilla bean seeds instead of vanilla extract for a speckled look and more intense vanilla flavor. Get our Crème Brûlée recipe.
Buy some eggnog (or make it yourself if you can’t find any) and add some nutmeg and you’ve got a winter holiday-style sweet custard with the glorious crackly crust. Regular granulated sugar works well, but superfine sugar melts even more easily. Get our Eggnog Crème Brûlée recipe.
When it comes to crème brûlée and flan, it’s mostly the toppings that distinguishes the two, as well as the presentation. The former has that signature crackly sugar crust on top, and the latter has the gooey, soft caramel top. Crème brûlée is served within mini soufflé dishes, and flan is served out of the baking dish, standing alone. And it’s also the culture each dessert hails from: French and Latin American cuisines, respectively.
More elaborate custard desserts involve additional components, such as toppings or coatings. Crème brûlée contains a layer of hard caramelized sugar on top, achieved by melting sugar with a blowtorch; crème caramel is coated in a layer of soft caramel sauce before being turned out.
It won’t look as pretty, but with a microwave and a toaster oven, you can make this delicate dessert (which is certainly fancier than a mug cake). No need for a blow torch if you don’t have or want one. You can broil the sugar on top of the custard to get that hardened sugary layer that defines this dessert. Get our Microwave Crème Brûlée recipe. (Try this 3-Ingredient Crème Brûlée recipe that uses melted ice cream as a shortcut to making custard too!)
The ULTIMATE Leche Flan – VIRAL Tiktok Recipe
Are creme brulee and leche flan the same?
Outside the country, however, this kind of dessert has another name. In fact, it may have few other names. These creamy desserts may have different names but there are both similarities and differences between leche flan, creme caramel, and creme brulee . All three are made with eggs, a kind of dairy, and sugar. All three are luscious egg custards.
What is the difference between flan & Creme Brulee?
There is a difference in the texture as Flan’s texture can depend on the origin, but the texture of Creme Brulee has a delicate layer of caramel. Flan is served as a standalone, whereas Creme Brulee is served in dishes. Flan is served cold, whereas Creme Brulee can be served cold or warm.
What is the difference between Crème Caramel & Crème Brûlée?
2 Both crème caramel and crème brûlée use fresh milk and whole eggs. The crème caramel or caramel flan, as well as the crème brûlée, are both made with fresh milk, sugar, and whole eggs. Unlike the leche flan where both kinds of milk are shelf-stable canned ingredients, fresh ingredients are the common ingredients used for these two versions.
What is leche flan?
The name leche flan is translated into “milk custard,” and is often much richer than Spanish flan because it includes more egg yolks, condensed milk, and is steamed. Since there is an addition of milk, it’s texture is much more jiggly and pudding-like than French flan. It’s commonly eaten during parties and celebratory events in Filipino culture.