Description
This Lavender Creme Brûlée recipe is a sophisticated twist on the classic French dessert, infusing luxurious heavy cream custard with delicate culinary lavender and sweet honey. Perfect for spring entertaining, this dessert offers a creamy, silky texture topped with a caramelized brown sugar crust and a dollop of homemade whipped cream garnished with dried lavender blossoms.
Ingredients
Scale
Custard
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 2 ½ tbsp honey
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
- 1 tbsp culinary grade lavender
- pinch of salt
- 6 egg yolks
Topping
- 8 tsp brown sugar (for the tops)
Homemade Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Infuse Cream: In a saucepan, combine the heavy cream, honey, vanilla bean seeds and pod, culinary lavender, and a pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then turn off the heat. Cover and let steep for 30 minutes to infuse the flavors.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees Celsius).
- Prepare Egg Yolks: While the cream steeps, whisk together the egg yolks in a bowl until smooth and slightly thickened.
- Strain Mixture: Strain the cream mixture through a fine sieve into a heatproof pitcher to remove lavender and vanilla pod solids. Slowly pour the strained hot cream into the egg yolks while whisking constantly to temper the eggs and blend the custard smoothly.
- Second Strain: For an ultra-smooth custard, strain the mixture once more through a fine mesh sieve into a clean pitcher. This ensures no solids remain.
- Fill Ramekins and Prepare Water Bath: Pour the custard evenly into 4 oz ramekins. Place the ramekins in a roasting pan. Carefully pour hot water from a kettle into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins, taking care not to splash water into the custards.
- Bake Custards: Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes for shallow (1-inch deep) ramekins or 50 minutes for deeper (2-inch deep) ramekins. Custards should be mostly set but still jiggle slightly when gently shaken.
- Cool and Refrigerate: Remove ramekins from the water bath, allow custards to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate uncovered overnight to fully set and chill.
- Caramelize Sugar Topping: About to serve, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of brown sugar evenly on the top of each custard. Position your oven rack on the highest level closest to the broiler element. Set the oven to broil and place ramekins on a flat cookie sheet. Broil for 10 to 15 seconds or until the sugar melts, browns, and caramelizes, forming a crisp crust.
- Make Whipped Cream: Combine 1 cup heavy cream, 1 tbsp powdered sugar, and ½ tsp vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip until soft peaks form.
- Serve: Let the caramelized tops cool slightly. Then top each creme brûlée with a dollop of the homemade whipped cream. Garnish the cream and caramelized sugar crust with dried lavender blossoms for an elegant finish.
Notes
- Use culinary-grade lavender to ensure a pleasant flavor without bitterness.
- Be careful when pouring hot water into the roasting pan to avoid splashing water into custards, which prevents proper setting.
- For best texture, strain the custard mixture twice before baking.
- Allow custards to chill uncovered overnight for the best set and flavor development.
- The broiler step caramelizes the sugar quickly; watch closely to avoid burning.
- The whipped cream can be prepared in advance and stored chilled until serving.
- This recipe is perfect for spring gatherings due to its light floral flavor and elegant presentation.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 209 kcal
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 34 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 185 mg
