Crême Brûlée A Ma Façon

(click on the picture for more details)

What is so special about this traditional French dessert?!

I love crême brûlée, I especially love to crack the warm caramel crust and dive into the cool custard. I also love to top my brûlée with a handful of raspberries and blackberries, and let the tartness of the fruit balance the sweetness of the cream.

The star ingredient of my crème brûlée is honey and this honey from my great uncle’s beehives makes this dessert even more special to me! Not only it is sweet and thick, but it has also captured the smokiness of the charcoal-burning braziers, which the main source of heat in the remote village of A. I recognize that a beekeeping great uncle, living in the Highlands of Madagascar is unique, but the rich flavours of any organic honey from your local farmer’s market or a visit to a beekeeper in the nearby countryside will make your dessert just as tasty and memorable as mine!

Ingredients for 6 servings:

2 cups whipping cream

5 large egg yolks (Tip: The whites can be saved in the freezer for a few weeks, I used mine for meringue cookies!)

1 large egg

2/3 cup honey

1 vanilla bean

1 cup fresh fruit like orange, raspberries, and blackberries

1 ounce triple sec

1. In a small saucepan, heat the cream and the vanilla bean cut lengthwise.

2. Let simmer for 5 mns and remove from the heat.

3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the honey using a whisk until creamy.

4. Slowly stir the warm cream into the egg mixture, until homogenous.

5. Pass through a fine mesh sieve, into a large measuring cup.

6. Preheat the oven to 325 F.

7. Equally distribute into ramequins.

8. Transfer the ramequins into a large baking dish.

9. Fill ¾ of the baking dish with cold water and bake until almost set (about 45 mns).

10. Let cool on a rack to room temperature and chill for at least 4 hrs.

11. To make a quick fruit salad, cut the fruit into bite-size pieces and add to a small bowl.

12. Mix in the orange zest and the triple sec.

13. Before serving, sprinkle with a thin layer of sugar and brown using a torch or under the broiler.

14. Top with fresh fruit salad.