Lavender Creme Brulee...

Today, the little thing that brightened my day was as simple as a special treat. After lunch, my friend Katie and I passed a little creme brulee cart that we had never seen before.  I absolutely love creme brulee, it's my favorite desert, so I had to stop ;).  I opted for the Lavender creme brulee. Although I have never had lavender anything, I have always been intrigued by baking with it. Also, after watching Meryl Streep make lavender ice cream in It's Complicated, I told myself I'd make it too someday. 

If you've never tasted lavender before, it tastes like you think it would. It's hard to describe, but easy to recognize. I guess you'll just have to try it for yourself! 

Photo source: What's Cooking America

Lavender Crème Brulee
Yields: 6 to 8 servings
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min

Ingredients:
4 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers
8 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Butter (6-ounce) custard cups and set them into a glass baking dish. If cooking custards in a metal pan, cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of newspaper to ensure an even temperature on the bottom. Place custard cups in a shallow ovenproof roasting or baking pan.

In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, add cream and the lavender flowers; heat just to a simmer. Remove from heat and allow lavender flowers to infuse with the cream for 5 minutes. Strain cream mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove lavender flowers.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until light and creamy. Slowly add the strained cream to the egg mixture, blending well. Divide custard mixture among the custard cups.

Bring the water for the water bath (see definition on right) to a light simmer on top of the stove; carefully pour hot water into the baking pan to come half-way up the sides of the custard cups. NOTE: The most common mistake people make in baking a custard is not putting enough water in the hot-water bath. The water should come up to the level of the custard inside the cups. You must protect your custard from the heat.

Baked 60 minutes or until set around the edges but still loose in the center. The cooking time will depend largely on the size of the custard cups you are using, but begin checking at a half hour and check back regularly. When the center of the custard is just set, it will jiggle a little when shaken, that's when you can remove it from the oven.

Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled. Remove cups from water bath and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

When ready to serve, sprinkle approximately 2 teaspoons of remaining sugar over each crème brulee. For best results, use a small hand-held torch. Hold the torch 4 to 5 inches from the sugar, maintaining a slow and even motion. Stop torching just before the desired degree of doneness is reached, as the sugar will continue to cook for a few seconds after flame has been removed.

If you don't have a torch, place crème brulees 6 inches below the broiler for 4 to 6 minutes or until sugar bubbles and turns golden brown. Refrigerate crème brulees at least 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 to 8 servings (depending on size of custard cups).