Summer in a bowl: Lemon crème brûlée, a refreshing dessert for hot days

Crème brûlée, with its sweet, custardy center under a layer of caramelized sugar, is one of the most popular desserts in French cuisine. With its delicate elegance, it has stood the test of time for over 350 years; the first known recipe already appeared in 1691 in François Massialot's cookbook, Le Cuisinier Royal et Bourgeois.