Rosemary Creme Brûlée

Sinfully simple and refreshingly herbaceous, this is a brûlée to remember...and get you thinking about other savoury/sweet spins on this classic final course.

2 vanilla beans, split in half lengthwise
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
4 cups (1 L) cream
2/3 cup (160 mL) fine sugar
12 egg yokes
6 Tbsp (90 mL) Demerara sugar

Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C).

Mix yolks to pale shade of yellow. Bring to a boil rosemary, vanilla beans, and cream. Remove vanilla beans, leaving in rosemary.

In stages, mix cream into yolk, then add sugar. Stir. Leave in rosemary and cover with plastic wrap. Place in fridge overnight.

Strain out rosemary sprigs. Fill 6 ramekins or suitable bowls. Fill roasting pan 2/3-full with water. Set filled ramekins in pan and transfer to oven. Cook in water bath until set, approximately 40 minutes. Cool, then chill.

Finish by sprinkling with Demerara sugar–roughly 1 Tbsp (15 mL) per ramekin–and then caramelize with a cook’s blowtorch or by placing under your oven’s broiler until the surface is golden brown.

Serves 6.

source: "Treadwell", alive #396, June 2007