What is the name of the French dessert with a caramelized sugar top?

The French dessert with a caramelized sugar top is crème brûlée.

Crème brûlée is a chilled custard, usually flavored with vanilla, whose surface is covered with sugar and heated until it forms a thin, brittle caramel shell. The contrast between the cold, soft custard and the crackling topping is its defining feature.

The dessert’s name means “burnt cream” in French. Early versions of similar baked custards appeared in European cooking centuries ago, and the English dessert known as Trinity cream is a close historical relative. Modern cooks commonly caramelize the sugar with a kitchen torch or under a very hot broiler.

Crème caramel is different because its caramel is poured into the mold before the custard is added, producing a sauce when unmolded. Flan is a broader custard-dessert family, while panna cotta is set with gelatin rather than baked eggs.