Copycat Ruth's Chris Crème Brûlée Recipe

Some desserts are incredibly simple by nature, and then there are those that seem a little more complex and intimidating to make. Crème brûlée is definitely one of those fancy, elegant, and impressive desserts that falls into that "intimidating" category, and recipe developer Julianne De Witt will be the first to admit it. "Crème brûlée is a classic French dessert featuring a rich, creamy vanilla custard base, topped with a crunchy caramelized sugar crust," she explains. She also notes that it was one of the first desserts she learned to make in culinary school, and despite the intimidation level, she feels confident that a foolproof recipe will lead home chefs to a perfect dessert every time.

One such foolproof take on the iconic treat is this copycat Ruth's Chris crème brûlée recipe, one that not only yields a classic and sophisticated take on the dessert, but one that will remind you of your favorite steakhouse. Ruth's Chris' crème brûlée is ultimately very similar in flavor and ingredients to other takes on the dessert, but there are a few key differences that De Witt highlights in her copycat rendition. "I went with turbinado sugar for the top — from what I have read, this is what Ruth's Chris uses," she says. She also uses very shallow ramekins, à la Ruth's Chris, but if deeper ones are all you have, those will work too (but you may need to adjust the cooking time).

Despite being such an elevated and elegant dessert, copycat Ruth's Chris crème brûlée doesn't require a whole lot of ingredients. In fact, you only need five ingredients to make the magic happen: a vanilla bean, heavy cream, egg yolks, white sugar, and turbinado sugar. You may also want some fresh berries and mint leaves on hand to garnish your finished crème brûlées. 

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Slice the vanilla bean in half crosswise, then split each piece lengthwise. Using your knife, scrape the seeds from the pod.

Place the cream, vanilla seeds, and pods in a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat.

Slowly heat the cream to 190 F.

Strain out the pods, then allow the cream to cool for 5 minutes or until the temperature lowers to 165 F.

Add the yolks and white sugar to a medium-sized bowl.

Whisk in the eggs and sugar until the mixture is pale yellow and glossy.

Slowly whisk the cream into the eggs, half a cup at a time, until fully incorporated.

Using a small spoon, skim any bubbles from the surface of the custard mixture.

Place six ramekins in a deep baking pan. Slowly pour the custard into each, leaving a little space at the top.

Carefully pour hot tap water into the baking pan until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Place the baking pans in the oven. Bake for 30–40 minutes, until the custards are set around the edges but still slightly soft in the center.

Remove the ramekins from the water bath, let them cool just enough to handle safely, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until fully chilled.

Remove the ramekins from the fridge. Sprinkle 1–2 tablespoons of turbinado sugar evenly over each custard, gently shaking the ramekin to distribute the sugar.

Using a culinary torch, carefully caramelize the sugar by moving the flame evenly across the surface until it melts and forms a golden-brown crust.

Garnish with berries and mint leaves if desired, and serve.

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There are a few factors that make crème brûlée an intimidating at-home dish. While the kitchen torch alone is enough to scare off many home bakers, others are more intimidated by the whole water bath thing. So, what's the whole point of the water bath, anyway, and is it strictly essential? 

In short, yes, the water bath is quite essential. While you could technically attempt to make crème brûlée without the water bath, the texture of the custard will come out all wrong. "A water bath (AKA bain-marie) surrounds the custard with even heat, preventing the edges from cooking too quickly and ensuring a smooth, creamy texture throughout," De Witt explains. "Without it, the custard can curdle or develop a grainy texture." Make sure that you're using hot (not boiling) water for the bath, though. Boiling water could also cause curdling or bubbles to form on top of your crème brûlée.

Fortunately, the process of making the water bath is quite simple, as long as you use a baking dish that's big enough to accommodate everything and your water isn't too hot. Another common dessert that uses a water bath is cheesecake, so if you've ever made a from-scratch cheesecake before, then you're already at least somewhat familiar with the whole process.

Aside from ensuring that you use a water bath when baking the crème brûlée, there are a few other tips to keep in mind. First, make sure you use whole vanilla beans as opposed to extract for the best possible flavor. "Scrape the seeds and include the pod while heating the cream," De Witt advises. And speaking of the cream, make sure you're heating it gently to avoid curdling. We strongly recommend using a thermometer to ensure your cream gets to 190 F (and not any higher). Make sure to cool the cream a bit before adding it to your egg mixture, and add it slowly to avoid making scrambled eggs. 

De Witt recalls having to use full-sized kitchen torches to make crème brûlée back in her culinary school days, but for this recipe, she highly recommends using a smaller or mini culinary torch instead. "We were taught to hold the ramekin in our hand and rotate it, carefully caramelizing the sugar without (hopefully) burning ourselves in the process," she says. "Placing the ramekin on the counter and using a small torch is the safer bet!" If you don't have a torch, you can caramelize the sugar in a 500 F oven, but keep a very close eye on the crème brûlées, as they can burn in the blink of an eye.

As a final tip, make sure you allow the crème brûlées to refrigerate and set for the full 4-hour period. It may seem tedious, but this process is essential to establishing that perfectly luscious, creamy texture (and ensuring that the custard will hold up to the torching).

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