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Lavender Crème Brûlée

This lavender crème brûlée is a delicious twist on the classic dessert. It's made with lavender-lemon infused cream whisked into egg yolks and topped with burnt sugar.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Chilling Time
3 hrs
Total Time
4 hrs
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 290 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French

Ingredients

Custard:
  • 1 quart water for water bath (amount approximate)
  • 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 1 tablespoon dried lavender
  • 1 lemon (zest only)
  • 3 egg yolks
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Topping:
  • 4 tablespoons sugar (or more, use ~1 TB per ramekin)
  • fresh berries or sliced stone-fruit (optional)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 300ºF. Begin boiling water in a tea kettle (or in a small pot).Use a microplane grater to zest the lemon. Take care to only remove the zest, and not the white pith.Add cream and milk to a pot and heat over medium heat. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.Add the lavender. Cover the pot and set aside to steep. Steep for at least 30 minutes (or overnight). For a longer steep, move cream to the fridge.
  2. Strain lavender out of the cream. Add the lemon zest and rewarm the milk.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined but not airy.
  4. Slowly begin whisking the warm milk into the egg mixture. As you pour, continue whisking constantly. (This will help keep the eggs from cooking.)
  5. Place 4-6 ramekins into a large baking dish. Divide the batter between the ramekins. Skim off any large bubbles.Carefully pour the hot water into the casserole dish, taking care not to splash water into the ramekins. Add water until the water-level reaches halfway up the ramekins.
  6. Bake about 50-60 minutes, until the centers are set.Remove the custards from the baking dish and set aside to cool. Once they've reached room temperature, move the ramekins to the fridge.Chill for at least 3 hours or up to 2 days. (The sugar won't caramelize as well if the custard isn't cold.)
  7. Just before serving, sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly across the top of each custard.Torch method:Use a kitchen torch to burn the sugar by moving the torch slowly across each custard dish. The sugar will darken and bubble up. Allow the bubbles to subside and the sugar to harden before serving. The sugar will harden within just a minute or two.Broiler method:Optionally, set the custards in a shallow pan filled with ice. (This will keep the custard cold while broiling.)Move an oven rack to about 4" below the broiler, and preheat the broiler to high. Move the custards under the broiler, and watch carefully until the sugar browns and bubbles. The timing will depend on your oven. Gas broilers may work in seconds, electric broilers may take several minutes. Remove from the broiler immediately.
  8. Optionally, top with fresh berries or sliced stone fruit. Serve the crème brûlée immediately.

Notes

  • To prepare ahead of time: Bake custards in the water bath + chill for up to two days.  Wait until just before serving to caramelize the sugar.
  • Leftover crème brûlée: Store leftover custards in the fridge for up to a day.  The sugar will not stay crunchy.
  • crème brûlée: Store leftover custards in the fridge for up to a day.  The sugar will not stay crunchy.

Nutrition Information

Calories 290kcal (15%) Carbohydrates 22g (7%) Protein 3g (6%) Fat 21g (32%) Saturated Fat 13g (65%) Cholesterol 168mg (56%) Sodium 32mg (1%) Potassium 74mg (2%) Sugar 20g (40%) Vitamin A 892IU (18%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 67mg (7%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 290

% Daily Value*

Calories 290kcal 15%
Carbohydrates 22g 7%
Protein 3g 6%
Fat 21g 32%
Saturated Fat 13g 65%
Cholesterol 168mg 56%
Sodium 32mg 1%
Potassium 74mg 2%
Sugar 20g 40%
Vitamin A 892IU 18%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 67mg 7%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.