peach leaf crème brûlée
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Recipe type: dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6-8
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • ½ cup sugar (plus more for caramel topping)
  • 1 cup peach leaves, torn or crushed
  • 5-6 egg yolks
Instructions
  1. Pour the cream into a bowl and refrigerate.
  2. Warm the milk with ½ cup sugar in a nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves.
  3. Off the heat, add the peach leaves and steep for 5-10 minutes. The original recipe warns against steeping too long as the leaves will impart a bitter flavor. Taste the mixture after 5 minutes; it should be faintly floral and somewhat almond-flavored. Remove the leaves and cool slightly.
  4. Whisk the egg yolks lightly in a medium bowl. Gradually add the milk-sugar mixture to the yolks, stirring constantly until the yolks are thoroughly incorporated. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into the bowl of cold heavy cream and stir well. I ended up with almost 4 cups (less than 1 liter) of liquid. Refrigerate for up to a day, or proceed with the rest of the recipe immediately.
  5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Fill eight 4- to 5-ounce ramekins with the crème brûlée mixture, and place in shallow baking dish. Fill the baking dish with warm water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes (mine took longer because my ramekins were larger).
  6. Open one corner of the foil to check the custards. They should be completely set except for a small dime-sized spot in the center.To test for doneness, jiggle the ramekins, protecting your hand with an oven mitt. When done, remove the finished custards from the water bath and cool for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
  7. Just before serving, sprinkle the top of each custard evenly with 2 tablespoons of sugar. using a small propane torch (I found mine in a hardware store -- fail!), caramelize sugar. The broiler works well, too, but watch very carefully as the sugar can quickly burn. The caramel crust will stay crisp for an hour.
  8. Prep and cooking times also should include cooling time in the fridge.
Recipe by story of a kitchen at https://www.storyofakitchen.com/dessert-recipes/peach-leaf-creme-brulee/