White Chocolate and Lavender Crème Brûlée
A crème brûlée that turns the classic in two directions at once: white chocolate makes it fuller, lavender gives it a floral note that catches the sweetness.
Only culinary lavender. Buy it from the spice shelf or a herbalist — decorative lavender is often treated, and it is not food.
And use it sparingly: one tablespoon per liter of liquid is the ceiling. Above that the dessert tastes of soap, and there is no walking it back. Lavandula angustifolia is gentler than lavandin.
The eggs are beaten lightly, without folding in air. Bubbles in the custard become holes in the set.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream (double cream)
- 50 g sugar (for the custard)
- 1 tbsp culinary lavender flowers, sold as food — Lavandula angustifolia rather than lavandin
- 150 g good white chocolate
- 4 eggs
- Extra sugar for the brûlée topping, as needed
Method
- 1
The infusion: in a small pot, put the milk with the cream, the 50 g of sugar and the tablespoon of lavender flowers. Bring it to just below boiling over medium heat, take it off the heat immediately, cover it and let it steep for 30 minutes so the aromas concentrate. Then strain it to remove the flowers and set the warm liquid aside.
- 2
Melt the chocolate: chop the white chocolate finely and melt it in a water bath over very low heat, or in the microwave in 30-second bursts at minimum power. White chocolate seizes and splits far more easily than dark.
- 3
The base: in a separate bowl, beat the 4 whole eggs lightly, without folding in much air. Fold the melted white chocolate into the eggs gently, then add the strained infused cream.
- 4
Slow bake in a water bath: divide the mixture evenly between shallow ovenproof ramekins. Set them in a deep roasting tin, pour hot water into the base of the tin to make the water bath and bake at a low 160 °C for about 40 minutes, until the edges are set and the centre still has a slight wobble.
- 5
Take the ramekins out of the oven and the water bath. Let them cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours so the structure finishes setting.
- 6
Caramelizing and serving: just before taking them to the table, sprinkle the surface of each ramekin with a thin, even layer of extra sugar. Caramelize it immediately with a kitchen blowtorch, until the sugar melts and forms a golden, crisp crust. No blowtorch? Put them under a very hot grill for a few minutes, with the heat coming from above. Serve at room temperature, for the contrast between the cold custard and the warm caramel. Done in advance, the crust softens back into the custard.
Flavors of the Mediterranean: From Our Table to Yours
If one kitchen invites you to sit down at a long table and stay there, it is the Mediterranean. This is our personal selection of dishes that celebrate freshness, sun and good produce: recipes that smell of basil, lemon and sea. Technique in the service of simplicity — and dishes that come out right every time.
