News
A close-up photo of a festive holiday dessert, likely crème brûlée, served in an oval white ramekin with a perfectly caramelized sugar crust. The dish is topped with a dollop of whipped cream and red crumbles. It sits on a white plate with a decorative lace doily, garnished with orange slices, evergreen sprigs, and bright red berries.
Dec 17, 2025
|
Daily Inter Lake

Indulge with decadent holiday dessert

By Andy Blanton

What better way to indulge this holiday season with family and friends than with a decadent creme brulee, especially an eggnog flavored custard! It’s not as difficult as you might think, and it’s certainly a fun way to spend a day inside.

The most difficult part is the tempering of the egg/sugar mixture with hot cream. Tempering refers to adding hot liquid to cool eggs slowly, a few drops at a time at first, then a thin, slow, steady stream, whisking constantly, until all the hot cream is combined.

A propane or butane torch works best for caramelizing the sugar and creating the crust.

Alternatively, a broiler will work with ice underneath the custard to keep the custard cool while the broiler caramelizes the crust.

EGGNOG CREME BRULE

YIELD: 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 c heavy whipping cream

⅓ c granulated sugar (or 2.75 oz)

4 egg yolks (room temperature)

1 oz dark rum

½ t brandy

¼ t nutmeg

Brown sugar or sugar in raw

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Scald heavy cream with nutmeg in a heavy-duty saucepan over medium heat. Once cream is hot, combine egg yolks and sugar in a bowl, whisk together until pale yellow.
  2. Using a ladle, slowly temper hot cream into egg/sugar mix (see intro for technique). Once all cream is integrated, add brandy and dark rum. Place in the cooler and fully chill the batter overnight.
  3. Divide custard into four or six brulee dishes (ramekins work great, otherwise smaller coffee cups will do). Bake in a hot water bath, with the water coming up to about ⅔ of where the custard is, at 325 degrees (conventional oven) until set, about 30-40 minutes. Be sure to rotate the pan at the halfway mark. The custard is “set” or “done” when gently tapped and the center no longer jiggles. Allow to fully chill before serving, at least 6 hours in a refrigerator.
  4. Sprinkle brown sugar or sugar in the raw in an even layer on the top of the chilled creme brulee, brown the sugar with a torch or place dishes on ice and broil until a crust is formed. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Andy Blanton is the executive chef at Flathead Valley Community College’s Culinary Institute of Montana. For more information, visit fvcc.edu/culinary.