Dessert - by Scarlett

From soufflé to parfait, you'll find my personal selection of yummy dessert recipes here and more!! So for home-made goodness or sweet treats around Sydney, be sure to check here - oh, and bon appétit!! Scarlett :)

Crème Brûlée - Dessert

Crème Brûlée à la Lavande

November 28th 2007 12:01

Creme Brulee a la Lavande

About Crème Brûlée à la Lavande

This rich and luxurious dessert is actually just a simple smooth custard: a mixture of cream and eggs, with a caramelized sugar topping. The custard mixture is cooked and chilled, and then a thin layer of sugar is sprinkled on top to be crystallised with a butane torch or under a “salamander” broiler, hence the name crème brûlée, which is translated as “burnt cream”. Traditional crème brûlée does not use any additional flavouring. However, this recipe adds a little French panache with aromatic lavender flower. This soft-and-crunchy treat should transport you straight to Provençe.

About Edible Dry Lavender Flower

Lavender is an incredibly versatile herb for cooking. In today’s upscale restaurants, fresh edible flowers are making a comeback as enhancements to both the flavour and appearance of food.
It is not surprising that lavender is edible and that its use in food preparation is also returning. Flowers and leaves can be used fresh, and both buds and stems can be used dried. Lavender is a member of the mint family and is close to rosemary, sage, and thyme. It is best used with fennel, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, and savory.

English Lavender has the sweetest fragrance of all the lavenders and is the one most commonly used in cooking. The uses of lavender are limited only by your imagination. Lavender has a sweet, floral flavour, with lemon and citrus notes. The potency of the lavender flowers increases with drying. In cooking, use one-third the quantity of dried flowers to fresh. The key to cooking with lavender is to experiment; start out with a small amount of flowers, and add more as you go. But Note that adding too much lavender to your recipe can be like eating perfume and will make your dish bitter. Because of the strong flavour of lavender, the secret is that a little goes a long way. And, do not eat flowers from florist, nurseries or garden centres. In many cases these flowers have been treated with pesticides not labeled for food crops.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 6

2 cups heavy cream
¾ teaspoon dry lavender flowers
5 egg yolks
½ cup sugar
2½ tablespoons brown sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 120º C. Add the cream and lavender in a small pot over high heat.

2. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat. Cover the pot and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

3. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl for 1 minute.

4. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the lavender cream and combine. Strain to remove the lavender pieces.

5. Pour the mixture into a large ceramic dish or several small ceramic dishes to ½ inch height.

6. Bake for 30 minutes.

7. Remove and allow cooling for several hours. It is best to chill in a refrigerator overnight.

8. To serve, sprinkle the brown sugar over the top of the chilled mixture. Caramelise the sugar until golden using a butane torch or broiler.

**From “Behind the Apron– The recipes of Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong” and “What’s Cooking America” **

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Posted By: Scarlett - Category: Crème Brûlée

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Ama Ozen @ Kobe Jones

March 13th 2007 08:54

Kobe Jones, located in Sydney's King Street Wharf, is a modern Japanese Restaurant with a twist. Super chic and innovative, the cuisine is inspired by the best of eastern spices and the californian flavours of the west. The huge menu is fresh and light containing some surprising delicious dishes and delightfully presented desserts - of which I had the pleasure of sampling over the weekend.

The "Ama Ozen", a tray of Kobe Jones' finest Desserts, was most suitable for our party of four and consists of:

- SUSHIMI (Fresh fruit sushi cheesecake with Kobe Jones' famous Chop Sticks)
- KANPAI TRIFLE (Sake infused trifle with marinated cherrys in jelly)
- YOKAN (Chocolate sabayon on a hazelnut biscuit with a vanilla anglaise)
- ANKO (Green Tea cream brulee).

The Sushimi was delightfully presented with cheesecake made in the form of sushi (cheesecake as the rice, the fruit on top as the 'sushi' as well as the traditional pickled ginger) and was my favourite dessert for the evening.

Two long pieces of dark chocolate complemented the 'sushi' and were made in the form of chopsticks to round off the excellent presentation although they are strictly for chocolate lovers only! I found them to be too rich and filling but I am sure those that love chocolate will appreciate it very much.

The Yokan was delicious and the contrast in textures of the sabayon and the hazelnut biscuit was superb.

The cream brulee, Anko, was far from your traditional creme brulee, but the combination of smooth green tea ice cream and Japanese red bean was delightful.

Overall, the dessert wasn't the best I have had the pleasure of sampling, but the excellent presentation more than made up for it.

I will definitely be going back in the future to sample their desserts again - and wonderful sushi rolls too!

Presentation: 9/10
"Wow" for the tastebuds: 6.5/10

Dessert - by Scarlett

Crème Brûlée - Dessert

Crème Brûlée à la Lavande

Ama Ozen @ Kobe Jones

Crema Catalana

Crème Brûlée with Sugared Raspberries