Orange Blossom Crème Brûlée

Reasons for making crème brûlée:
1. It never fails to impress.
2. Total active time cooking is less than 10 minutes.
3. It gives me something to do with all those leftover egg yolks from endless macaron-making.

Crème brûlée is about eating the dessert as much as the process of "brûlée-ing" the dessert, which is why it is my go-to for dinner parties. It brings guests together, and for some reason, people love watching sugar burn! You can even have each guest torch his/her own dessert for some after-dinner entertainment! It also stores really well in the fridge for a few days, so preparations can be done ahead.
Orange blossom water has an exquisite fragrance, but be sure to use it sparingly, as it can also be overwhelmingly pungent in excess!

Orange Blossom Crème Brûlée
makes 6

Zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup superfine sugar
5 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk 1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon orange blossom water

For brûlée:
6 tablespoons granulated sugar


Preheat oven to 160°C.

Combine 1/4 cup superfine sugar with orange zest, rub zest with sugar between fingers until fragrant and sugar takes on an yellowish hue.

Whisk together egg yolks and vanilla extract into sugar mixture.

In a medium saucepan, heat remaining superfine sugar with milk and cream, slowly bring to a boil. Remove from heat as soon as it boils and slowly pour into egg mixture while whisking to prevent cooking the eggs. Add orange blossom water.

Divide amongst 6 ramekins (about 3.5 inches in diameter).  Create a water bath by placing ramekins into a large casserole pan and fill with boiling water until water reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake for one hour.

Remove ramekins from water bath, let cool to room temperature. Cover each with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

When ready to serve, evenly distribute 1 tablespoon of sugar over each custard, tapping the sides of the ramekins to ensure an even layer of sugar. Caramelize using either a kitchen blowtorch or under a very hot broiler, until a fine, pale brown crust has formed. Cool for a few minutes until sugar has hardened, serve immediately.