Lavender Creme Brulee

I take in a deep breath and fill my lungs with the sweet, heady scent of lavender. The fresh, green smell of the flower remind me of walking through the woods after a light rain.  As I take in the luscious scent of the perfume, it gently covers my skin and clings to my hair. I can feel it hovering in the air as a calm falls over me and I forget all of the day's stress. I gently push my wooden spoon through a pot of warm cream and dried lavender flowers. No, I didn't have to spend a day in the spa or buy some expensive lotions to experience the benefits of this beautiful little flower. I simply had to open my jar of culinary lavender and begin cooking.

The inspiration for this dish was born when a friend gave me a jar of culinary lavender that she had come across on a recent trip. Though I had occasionally seen lavender in restaurant dishes and inventive cocktails, I had never really considered lavender as a cooking tool. When I was given this gift, I was initially a little perplexed. I had to do some research to discover ways in which lavender is most commonly used in cooking. Because of the relatively concentrated scent of lavender, one has to use it judiciously to avoid a taste reminiscent of eating perfume. I'm sure we've all been there and it's not the most pleasant taste experience. I can't be the only one who thought the nozzle was pointed slightly farther to the right...

Well, I'm getting off topic now. Lavender is generally mixed with other herbs (as in the traditional Provençal herb mixture) or it is used to infuse a liquid. For instance, a bartender at the restaurant where I work makes a fabulous gin cocktail that uses lavender-infused honey. In this case, I decided to infuse some heavy cream with lavender to make a lavender creme brulee. The result is one of my favorite desserts. The smooth, rich texture and mild flavor of the cream custard is balanced by the floral background notes of the lavender. The crunchy caramelized sugar coating tops it off perfectly.

So get out your spoons and get ready to enjoy! Lavender creme brulee is a dessert that is at once both sophisticated and rustic, simple and impressive.

Lavender Creme Brulee


Ingredients


2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup white sugar, plus 4 T to finish desserts
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lavender flowers
pinch salt

Cooking Tools


Fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth
Kitchen torch or oven broiler
Ramekins, preferably shallow (about 1" deep)
**Creme brulee is traditionally made in shallow ramekins but can be made in any depth ramekin. I used two different size ramekins when making this dish and saw little difference in the texture of the custard. It is just important to make sure that the water bath is at the proper height for whatever size ramekin you are using.**

Directions


1. Preheat the oven to 300F. Butter the insides of 4 ramekins and place inside a large glass baking pan.

2. Put the heavy cream, vanilla extract and lavender flowers in a medium saucepan over low to medium heat. Bring just to a gentle simmer and then remove from the heat. Allow the flowers to sit and infuse in the cream for five more minutes, stirring occasionally. Using a mesh strainer, remove the lavender and pour the warm cream into a large bowl.

3. Put the egg yolks into a separate large bowl and whisk in the 1/3 cup sugar until light and creamy. Slowly add the warm cream into the egg mixture. Make sure to take your time with this step so that the warm cream doesn't accidentally cook the eggs!

4. Pour the custard mixture into the ramekins, filling them almost to the top (leave about 1/4" if possible). Place the ramekins into the glass baking pan. I was actually able to fill 5 ramekins with this recipe.

5. Next, add enough hot water into the glass pan to come up around the sides of the ramekins. The water should come up to about the same level as the custard inside the ramekins. This is called a water bath (or Bain Marie en francais) and is used to cook the egg mixture slowly and evenly. Think of the water bath as a protection from the dry heat of the oven. 

6. Bake in the oven for about 45-60 minutes, depending on the oven. The custards are done when the edges are set but the middle is still a little bit loose.

7. Refrigerate the custards for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. When you are ready to eat the dessert, bring out of the refrigerator and top each custard with 1 T of white sugar.

The creme brulee without the sugar topping. 

8. Now the best part- caramelizing the sugar on top! You need a flame to caramelize the sugar until it is deep golden brown. Watch it carefully as it will continue cooking after you remove the flame and as it cooks very quickly! You may use the broiler in your oven by placing the ramekins directly underneath for 30-60 seconds. Any longer, and you will begin to melt the custard :(

However, if I have an opportunity to use a kitchen torch, I will certainly take it! I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and bought  a small kitchen torch for this recipe. It worked wonderfully, though I did have to buy the fuel separately at the local hardware store. If you use the torch, bring it down gently over the custard and heat the sugar until it turns a deep golden brown.

I probably should not have been holding a camera with one hand and a torch with the other. 

Remember that the sugar will continue to cook for a few seconds after you remove the flame. When you are done, you should have a nice crisp top to your brulee. Go get a spoon, crack it open, and enjoy! Or as we say in the old country, bon appetit!

 The lovely finished product.