What French dessert has a caramelized sugar crust on top of custard?

The French dessert with a caramelized sugar crust over custard is crème brûlée.

Crème brûlée consists of a rich custard, usually flavored with vanilla, covered by a thin layer of hardened caramelized sugar. The sugar is commonly browned with a blowtorch, broiler, or traditional red-hot salamander. The contrast between the brittle crust and cool, creamy center is the dessert’s defining feature.

The earliest known recipe using the name crème brûlée appeared in François Massialot’s 1691 cookbook, Cuisinier royal et bourgeois. Its ultimate origin is disputed: similar desserts and techniques are associated with France, Catalonia’s crema catalana, and England’s Trinity cream or Cambridge burnt cream. Trinity College, Cambridge, served its version by 1879.

Crème brûlée is often confused with crème caramel. Crème brûlée has caramelized sugar on top, while crème caramel is baked with caramel in the mold and turned out so the sauce coats the custard. The dessert became especially popular internationally during the restaurant boom of the 1980s.