Lavender and Honey Crème Brûlée Recipe

Not for nothing, I think that there is some mysterious charm to honey and lavender cream. This floral note, that silken luscious custard! 

When you dig into it with your spoon, isn’t there something strangely heavenly about the burnt sugar?

This Honey Lavender Crème Brûlée is a small island of luxury just when one most needs it, something anyone and everyone can make at home, which is why this article is worth reading. 

What makes lavender crème brûlée such a timeless dessert?

I know the first time I tasted a lavender creme brulee. The taste of lavender and vanilla blended into the warm custard, and it felt elegant but still comforting.

Such a dessert, when one can make lavender-honey lavender as easily as it has been, will serve perfectly for guests or even for an evening by oneself.

And because the custard rests in such wonderful little ramekins, every phase of this process feels gentle and meticulous.

That simple approach is what keeps it on the dessert menu in four-star restaurants while also making it easy to make at home.

Full Honey Lavender Crème Brûlée Recipe

Here is the complete lavender creme brûlée recipe using every technique mentioned.

Ingredients

6 egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean or lavender and vanilla pod
1 tablespoon lavender blossoms
¼ cup honey
¼ cup sugar, plus extra to sprinkle
Pinch of lavender and salt for balance
Hot water for the water bath
Lavender honey for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Place 4 to 6 ramekins into a baking pan.
2. Warm heavy cream, honey, lavender honey, lavender blossoms, and the vanilla bean in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer. Turn offthe heat and let it steep.
3. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks until smooth. Do not overwhisk.
4. Slowly pour the warm cream mixture into the egg yolks while stirring.
5. Strain the custard through a mesh strainer to remove the lavender and vanilla.
6. Pour into ramekins.
7. Place the baking pan in the oven and fill it with hot water until 2 inches deep around the ramekins.
8. Bake until the custard has a soft jiggle.
9. Remove, cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
10. Sprinkle sugar on top and use a kitchen torch to caramelize the surface until golden.
11. Serve with a hint of lavender honey.

How does the floral flavor in honey lavender crème come through?

If you add the lavender at just the right time, it will infuse the whole cream mixture with fragrance. Knowing when you’re steeping near the end and straining at the beginning is key.

If you have ever been afraid to eat lavender because you thought it might taste like soap, this method will put those fears to rest.

The lavender steeps gently with heavy cream, honey, and a vanilla bean. It is finally simmered, lighter than a light, but not far, then at the beautiful moment when the lavender blossoms have given of themselves (the flavor is perfect), take them out.

Timing is everything. Just the right amount of lavender. Just the right fire under your pan. Just the right interval before you strain with a sieve in one pass. And that’s when the honey lavender creme is no longer ordinary.

What ingredients make lavender crème brûlée silky and rich?

The finest custard is always made of egg yolks, whether you like it or not. Without them, this wonderful recipe would not exist in the first place.

A slow whisking of honey with egg yolks yields a fluffy ribbon-like texture that imparts a peculiar jiggle not only to our crème brûlée but also to its custard base, a property originally valued for its unique taste.

Next comes the heavy cream, which gives brûlée such a smooth mouthfeel. When the lavender and vanilla bean steep in this warm cream mixture, their flavors fold together as if they were meant to be in the same pot all along.

Of course, ramekins matter more than most people probably realize ever or at all. They help the custard cook evenly in the water bath, so it turns out as thick as a pudding. Whatever it is that makes our crème brûlée taste so silky and complexly rich.

How do you steep lavender without overpowering the dessert?

Try and think of steeped lavender as steeping tea before it gets bitter. It’s best to add your lavender at just the right time.

You also want it to color more rapidly the next moment. Some bubbles may also start coming up with this. So far so good, put a lid on and let them go.

Then you sift out before things get carried away. The honey lavender flavor is supplanted by sweet grass.

I like to use culinary lavender and just a measured teaspoon of its blossoms.

Some people freak out when they see the color deepen. Some people fret about the fragrant aroma.

However, if you remove the lavender and vanilla beans at just the right moment, everything stays in balance. Then, honey notes become sweeter and more fragrant rather than sharp.

And after you have sifted the egg mixture through a fine mesh strainer, the texture is amazingly velvety.

What is the secret to baking crème brûlée without curdling?

The water bath is the secret to it all. You place your ramekins into a baking pan at least 2 inches deep. You pour hot water around them from above, halfway up their sides, using a measuring cup designed for this purpose.

This permits custard to cook slowly and evenly. Now the temperature is behaving itself. The custard begins to thicken ever so slightly. No cracks. No bubbles. Just a smooth finish.

The water bath sounds scary for beginners, but once you’ve done it, you feel that it is a warm embrace for your dessert.

How long do you bake lavender crème brûlée for the perfect texture?

It depends on your oven, but when the custard is done, it will move just slightly in the center. Not wobbly. Not solid.

A little jiggle tells you that you can chill without it falling apart and becoming runny. Typically 30 to 40 minutes. If your ramekins are shallow, check sooner.

If they are deeper than average, give it a little longer. The goal is to leave that little wiggle behind.

Then wait several hours for the custard to set in the fridge. This is the most difficult time, but also when the cream gets so smooth.

How do you caramelize the sugar topping without burning it?

This is the moment that everyone is looking forward to. Take a spoonful of sugar and sprinkle it over each chilled custard.

Smooth it out so that it melts evenly. Then bring on the torch. A kitchen torch is great here because it gives you control. If you use an oven broiler, though, you have to be very careful with the power setting. So the burnt sugar doesn’t take on a bad taste.

As the sugar begins to melt, you can almost feel the change. It caramelizes into a glossy top. It solidifies as it cools into hard candy. And if you merely tap gently on it with the spoon, well, it shatters as though it’s its own little celebration.

That contrast between the crackling topping and the cold custard underneath is exactly where creme brulee gets its name from.

Does honey lavender change the texture of the custard?

The addition of honey and lavender changes the flavor a bit. Instead of merely sweet, as the classic one is, honey lavender creme brulee has a warm honey note, which is a nice change.

The lavender makes it gently floral and smooth. However, the crème is still thick, just like other custard desserts, and smooth because of all that heavy cream in your mixer. Think cool, big clumps of thick covering over everything.

However, in fact, the result is crumblier than a normal brûlée. It still holds its shape in ramekins.

It cuts cleanly into slices with a spoon. It still tastes like something you might order in a tiny café in the south of France.

How do you serve lavender crème brûlée for that elegant restaurant feel?

Serving makes up half the fun of eating a fried chicken dinner.

I like designs to be yours in every corner and apart of how you live your life I like arrangements even moreso.

I’m fond of setting ramekins on little saucers and giving the whole a drizzle of lavender honey on the side. Sometimes I throw in several lavender blossoms just for contrast. Sometimes let simplicity speak for itself.

If you are doing the honors, you can torch the top at your guest’s table or bench. From the sound alone, I know. Shine of the melted sugar. Fragrance it gives off: caramelized honey, lavender, and créme brûlée. It’s almost a scene in and of itself.

What’s more, since this dessert is naturally cold in nature, you can make it the night before and be all ready when your guests arrive tomorrow.

What makes lavender crème brûlée a dessert people never forget?

In fact, the floral notes will forever reside in your mind. The creamy custard that you have slurped from a spoon. The contrast of textures. The burnt sugar on this crème brûlée shatters ever so slightly before melting in your mouth.

When you blend lavender with vanilla and honey together, the flavors slink into something olfactory but very current indeed.

It feels like a traditional crème brulee with an added warmth. And when you bring this to the table for dinner, it quickly becomes what people will talk about long after they have left.