Lavender Crème Brûlé
The best part of crème brûlé is the excuse to bring out your butane torch. If you don’t have one ( tsk, tsk), you can brûlé the top under an oven broiler. Now is the time to take advantage of those lavender flowers ( no pesticides, natch) in your garden. From How to Cook Like A Top Chef from Bravo Media. – Mia Stainsby
4 cups ( 1 L) heavy cream 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise 12 to 16 fresh lavender flowers 10 egg yolks ½ cup ( 125 mL) sugar, plus 6 tablespoons Mixed berries such as blueberries, blackberries, raspberries Fresh mint sprigs for garnish
Preheat oven to 300 F. In medium saucepan, bring the cream to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean. Add the bean pieces and the lavender. Cover and steep the flavourings in the cream for 15 minutes, then strain through a fine- mesh sieve into a clean saucepan. In a medium bowl or stand mixer, whisk the egg yolks with the ½ cup ( 125 mL) sugar until frothy. Temper the yolks by adding about ½ cup ( 125 mL) of the heated cream to the bowl while whisking constantly to prevent curdling. Dribble another ½ cup ( 125 mL) cream into the bowl, whisking until well combined. Pour the warmed egg mixture into the saucepan of cream and heat slowly over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard is slightly thick and coats a spoon, about 15 minutes. Divide the custard among six 1- cup ( 250 mL) ramekins and place the ramekins in a large baking pan. Add 1 inch of hot water to the pan, cover the custards with aluminum foil and bake until the custards are just set and still jiggly in the centre, about 40 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the water bath, let cool on a wire rack, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill, at least 2 hours. To serve, sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over each ramekin. Moving a kitchen blowtorch from side to side, heat the sugar until it melts and caramelizes into a brittle, golden brown topping. Garnish each crème brûlé with a spoonful of berries and sprig of fresh mint. Makes 6 servings