Lavender Creme Brûlée
Smooth, creamy, custard with light floral notes beneath a crackly crust of caramelized sugar
Equipment
- 8 six oz. baking ramekins
- kitchen torch
Ingredients
- 8 large egg yolks
- ¾ cups sugar
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 1 tbsp + ¾ tsp edible dried lavender
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 320°F.
- Whisk the egg yolks, ½ cup of sugar, salt, and vanilla in a medium bowl.
- Heat heavy cream and ¼ cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the lavender to the cream and let this mixture come to a slight simmer along the edges of the pan. Do not let the cream boil.
- Once bubbles begin to form along the edges and the surface is steaming, remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Slowly stream in about ¼ cup of the heated cream to the egg yolks, whisking vigorously.Repeat with another ½ cup of cream.
- Add the warm yolk mixture into the saucepan with the cream, stirring constantly, and whisk vigorously to combine.
- Pour this custard through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Discard the lavender pieces.
- Ladle the custard evenly among 8 (6 oz.) ramekins.
- Place the ramekins in a deep roasting pan and place them in the oven on the second to lowest rack.
- Pour hot water into the roasting pan until the water reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins, being careful not to pour any water into the actual ramekins.
- Bake at 320°F for approximately 1 hour, or until the creme brulée is set and the centers only tremble slightly when shaken. If after an hour, the creme brulée is still not set, increase the heat to 350°F for another 10 minutes or so, keeping an eye on them.
- Let the creme brulée come to room temperature before covering with plastic wrap and placing in the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours (or overnight).
- With a kitchen torch, brûlée the tops and serve.