Lavender Crème Brûlée
A classic crème brûlée infused with dried lavender—silky, floral, and topped with a satisfying crack of caramelized sugar.
Lavender and cream are a match made in heaven. Steeping dried lavender buds in warm cream extracts their perfumed oils, creating a custard base that's subtly floral without tasting like soap—the eternal lavender balancing act.
The beauty of crème brûlée is its simplicity: cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and in this case, lavender. Five ingredients, but the result feels indulgent and restaurant-worthy. The key is steeping the lavender in the cream for exactly 20 minutes—enough to extract flavor, not enough to turn it bitter.
Baking in a water bath keeps the custard silky-smooth, preventing any grainy texture. They need at least four hours to chill and set, so this is a perfect make-ahead dessert for dinner parties.
The final step—torching the sugar into a golden, crackly shell—is pure theater. If you don't have a kitchen torch, the broiler works too. Just watch it like a hawk—it goes from perfect to burnt in seconds.
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tbsp dried culinary lavender
- 5 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for topping
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
How to make it
- 1Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). Heat cream in a saucepan until just simmering. Remove from heat, add lavender, cover, and steep 20 minutes.
- 2Strain cream through a fine sieve, pressing lavender buds to extract all flavor. Discard buds.
- 3Whisk egg yolks with sugar, vanilla, and salt until pale and smooth. Slowly pour warm cream into yolks, whisking constantly to avoid scrambling.
- 4Pour custard into 4 ramekins. Place in a deep baking dish and fill with hot water halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- 5Bake 40–45 minutes until set around edges but still slightly jiggly in the center. Remove from water bath and cool to room temperature.
- 6Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Before serving, sprinkle a thin, even layer of sugar on top and torch until golden and caramelized.
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