"Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb and Rose Crème Brûlée. That classic rhubarb and vanilla custard combo never fails for me, a perfect balance of sweet and sour. A gentle hint of rose water added to the custard just lifts the flavour with a subtle floral essence. I gently poached the rhubarb in a raspberry syrup. The surplus syrup, delicious in itself, can also be used in cocktails and other sweet things."
Rhubarb And Rose Creme Brulee
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Serves 6
Ingredients:
Rhubarb and syrup:
2 sticks of forced rhubarb
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup fresh raspberries
2 cups water
Custard:
5 large free-range egg yolks
1 3/4 cups double cream
3/4 cup caster sugar, plus extra for topping
seeds from 1 vanilla pod (or 15ml vanilla bean paste)
2 1/2 tablespoons rose water
Equipment required:
water spray gun
cook’s blow torch
Method:
Make the syrup and poach the rhubarb:
1. Put the water, sugar and raspberries in a saucepan, bring to the boil then reduce the heat to a steady simmer. Simmer for five minutes or until the water has reduced by about a quarter then remove from the heat. Wash the rhubarb and slice into one-inch pieces. Put the rhubarb pieces in the syrup and leave to infuse for an hour.
2. After an hour, gently remove the rhubarb pieces and put on kitchen paper to soak up excess liquid.
Make the custard:
1. In a large heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the caster sugar until pale and fluffy.
2. Put the cream and rose water in a saucepan along with the seeds from the vanilla pod (or vanilla bean paste) then gently heat but don’t bring to the boil. Remove the pan from the heat and let the cream cool sufficiently before adding to the whisked egg yolks and sugar. Don’t add the cream when it’s hot otherwise you’ll end up with scrambled eggs!
3. Pour the warm (slightly cooled) cream over a sieve into the egg mixture whisking constantly until well combined. Add the cream in small amounts at a time, don’t pour it all in at once.
4. When the egg and cream mixture is well blended, strain it through a sieve into a large jug to remove any lumps. Skim the froth from the surface.
Assemble and cook the crème brûlée:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 300˚ F.
2. Place the ramekins in a baking tray and put two to three pieces of rhubarb in each ramekin.
3. Put the kettle on! (Not for a cup of tea, you can have one later!)
4. Gently pour custard into the ramekins trying not to disturb the rhubarb. Pour the custard in until it reaches the brim of the ramekin.
5. Carefully place the baking tray on the middle shelf in the oven then pour hot water from the kettle into the baking tray until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
6. Bake the custards for 40-45 minutes until they’re lightly set. Do the ‘wobble test’ by gently shaking a ramekin. If the custard wobbles in the center then it’s set.
7. Remove the baking tray from the oven, remove the ramekins and let them cool to room temperature for about twenty minutes. Chill the custards for at least two hours until ready to serve.
To serve:
1. Crème brûlée is best served at room temperature, so remove the ramekins from the fridge in advance. Sprinkle each ramekin with two teaspoons of caster sugar. Wipe any excess sugar off the brim of each ramekin using a clean cloth or kitchen paper. Use a spray gun to gently spray a small amount of water over the sugar, the excess moisture helps it to caramelize.
2. Wave a cook’s blowtorch over the surface of the sugar until it has caramelized. If you don’t have a blowtorch, you can caramelize the sugar under a pre-heated very hot grill. Just be very careful not to burn the sugar or overheat the custard otherwise it will melt.
3. Let the brûlée cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!
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