Crème brûlée recipe by: Five Palms Lahaina
Servings: 6
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 qt. heavy cream
- 1 vanilla bean, split & scraped
- 1 c. vanilla sugar*
- 6 large egg yolks
- 2 qts. hot water
- 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. lavender buds
- 1 Tbsp. ground nutmeg or 1 tsp. if freshly ground from the nut
- 1 tsp. sea salt
TECHNIQUE: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place cream, lavender, nutmeg, vanilla bean and its pulp in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from stove. Strain out the vanilla bean, lavender pulp, and as much nutmeg as possible. In a bowl, whisk together egg yokes and 1/2 cup vanilla sugar until the mixture is well blended and just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 ramekins. Place the ramekins into a cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
PLATE: Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator at least 35 minutes prior to serving. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 ramekins and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar until it forms a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.
* To make vanilla sugar, scrape a vanilla bean into a container of sugar, mix, and allow the bean to infuse for about a week.
