Unlock a floral symphony with our Easy Lavender Créme Brûlée for 2 recipe. We've simplified the process, so you can make this in about 10 minutes. Infused with delicate lavender notes, this creamy indulgence promises a taste of sophistication without the complexity.
Jump to:
- Pam's Best Tips
- Lavender Crème Brûlée Ingredients
- What is culinary lavender?
- How to buy high-quality lavender?
- Crème Brûlée Dish
- How to make easy lavender crème brûlée for 2 at home
- Baking Crème Brûlée
- Crème Brûlée Topping
- How to make Crème Brûlée without torch
- Easy Lavender Crème Brûlée Recipe for 2
- Crème Brûlée Flavors and Variations
- More Desserts For Two
- Pairing
Pam's Best Tips
As Julia Child once said, “I think every woman should have a blow torch” – and I absolutely agree!
In the absence of a kitchen torch, a simpler solution is using your oven's broiler. Read the section below on how to make crème brûlée without a torch for step-by-step instructions.
This is one of my favorite desserts. But I wanted to simplify and perfect making this for two. Along the way, I discovered some tips and tricks when making crème brûlée for 2.
The key to perfect crème brûlée is using lots of egg yolks, turbinado sugar, an instant thermometer and a final chill.
It is super important to let the custard set for several hours in the refrigerator before brûléeing the top, otherwise you'll end up with soupy custard.
Crème brûlée is one of those ramekin dessert recipes that you can have fun switching up the flavors. My two favorites are this lavender crème brûlée found in the recipe card below and my recipe for a vanilla with orange liqueur créme brûlée. For more crème brûlée flavors, read the crème brûlée variations section!
Looking for other ramekin dessert recipes try key lime pie cups.
Lavender Crème Brûlée Ingredients
Let’s talk about the ingredients you’ll need to make this easy crème brûlée for 2.
- Extra-large egg yolks
- Granulated sugar
- Heavy cream or half-and-half
- Pure vanilla extract
- Orange liqueur (like Grand Marnier)
- Turbinado sugar or Demerara sugar for a caramelized crunchy sugar crust. Regular granulated sugar will work, too, but use only 1 scant teaspoon on each ramekin or 1 teaspoon on each shallow fluted dish
- Dried culinary lavender buds – you can use fresh but keep in mind that dried lavender buds are about three times as potent as fresh ones, so less is more when using dried lavender. You can find culinary lavender at whole foods or online.
What is culinary lavender?
The term lavender encompasses 47 known species of flowers. Not all lavender, however, should be used in food. I repeat: Not all lavender should be used in cooking.
Though most lavender is technically safe to eat, culinary lavender is typically cultivated from Lavandula angustifolia plants (commonly known as English or “true” lavender) and has a lot less oil than the aromatic lavender used in perfumes or soaps. This means it is much sweeter and more palatable that easier to use when cooking.
How to buy high-quality lavender?
When shopping for high-quality culinary lavender, color is key. You want to look for that vibrant blue-purple color as opposed to grayish-purple. Make sure to give the herbs a nice whiff since good culinary lavender should have a spicy, minty quality but not an overly perfumy aroma.
You can find culinary lavender (both fresh and dried) at many spice shops, farmers markets, and health foods stores as well as chains like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s or online.
If the lavender isn’t specifically labeled as “culinary,” you'll want to double-check. Please avoid cooking with lavender if you’re unsure. Don’t be tempted to use lavender essential oil for cooking as it can be unsafe for ingestion.
Crème Brûlée Dish
The wide and shallow ramekin allows for optimal sugar-to-custard ratio, and a more impressive crust. From my perspective, Crème brûlée ramekins were invented to make crème brûlée .
You can use 4-ounce, 5-ounce or 6-ounce ramekins based on your preference. Larger ramekins will yield thicker custard and take slightly longer to bake – making them perfect to share. “Two spoons please!”
How to make easy lavender crème brûlée for 2 at home
When baking the custard, a water bath is worthwhile. It enables gentler cooking and more even results. So, let’s bring a kettle of water to a boil.
Combine eggs and sugar. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg yolks and granulated sugar together on low speed. Mix until just combined. If mixing by hand use a wire whisk.
Simmer cream. In a small saucepan simmer cream until it's very hot to the touch but not boiling.
Add cream and flavorings. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Did I mention slowly? We don't want scrambled eggs in our custard!
If mixing in cream by hand: Slowly whisk cream into the egg mixture until smooth.
Add the vanilla and pour into 6 or 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.
Tip: If you are not a fan of chewing the lavender buds, you can strain out the lavender, using a fine mesh sieve before pouring into the ramekins. I opt for leaving the buds in the custard base, it looks beautiful and in my opinion does not compromise the velvety texture.
Baking Crème Brûlée
When baking the custard, a water bath is worthwhile. It makes the enables gentler cooking and more even results. And, though it is hard to convince first time custard cooks of this, the custard is done when still quite jiggly in the center.
I have no doubt that the first time you make the custard you will, like my first time and those of many others overcook them. But when the sides are set and the center is looking a bit underdone, they are ready.
To Bake crème brûlée. Place ramekins in a baking pan, taking care not to splash water into ramekins. Pour enough boiling water into pan to reach halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custard is set when gently shaken and digital instant-read thermometer inserted in centers registers 170 to 175 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes (25 to 30 minutes for shallow fluted dishes).
Begin checking temperature about 5 minutes before recommended time.
Tip: the custards are done when still quite jiggly in the center.
Cool to room temperature. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature. Once at room temperature, wrap your ramekins tightly and refrigerated for at least 1 hour up to a couple of days.
Crème Brûlée Topping
It is super important to let the custard set for several hours in the refrigerator before brûléeing the top, otherwise you'll end up with soupy custard.
Uncover ramekins and if condensation has collected on custard blot moisture with paper towel.
For the caramelized sugar crust, we recommend turbinado or demerara sugar. Regular granulated sugar will work, too. The amount of sugar needed for the topping will depend on the shape of the ramekin.
Sprinkle enough sugar over the top to cover, and then shake off the excess (about 1 to 1-½ teaspoons for turbinado and Demerara sugar or 1 teaspoon for regular granulated sugar).
To caramelize sugar, ignite torch and sweep flame from perimeter of custard toward middle, keeping flame about 2 inches above ramekin, until sugar is bubbling and deep golden brown.
Tip: To avoid burning keep the torch moving. When you see the sugar begin to melt and turns a golden brown stop torching. You can always sweep the flame back over areas that need a bit more torching to achieve the desired color of a deep golden brown.
Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens and refrigerate, uncovered, to rechill, 30 to 40 minutes. Doing this will allow you to experience the warmth of caramelized sugar and the chilly custard in both first few bites. Serve within two hours.
How to make Crème Brûlée without torch
No Torch? No worries, we will use the oven broiler method. First, adjust the oven rack so that the ramekins are 2 to 3 inches from heat source. Place the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet. Now put in the oven and turn on broiler. Cook until sugar melts and browns or even blackens a bit, this will take about 5 minutes.
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Easy Lavender Crème Brûlée Recipe for 2
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Equipment
- Electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment or mixing bowl and whisk.
- Kitchen torch (optional) - this is the one I have and love it!
Ingredients
- 3 extra-large egg yolks
- ¼ cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for each serving
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream or half-and-half
- 1 teaspoons dried culinary lavender buds
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Before you start:
- When baking the custard, a water bath is worthwhile. It makes the cooking gentler and results more even.
For the custard
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees F. Bring a kettle of water to a boil.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg yolks, and ½ cup of the sugar together on low speed until just combined.If mixing by hand: In a bowl, beat yolks and sugar together until it is a light yellow in color, using a wire whisk.
- Meanwhile,in a small saucepan simmer cream and lavender until it's very hot to the touchbut not boiling. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs.Add the vanilla and pour into 6 to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full. If mixing in cream by hand: Slowly whisk in cream into the egg mixture until smooth.
- Place ramekins in a baking pan, taking care not to splash water into ramekins, pour enough boiling water into pan to reach halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes (25 to 30 minutes for shallow fluted dishes), until the custards are set when gently shaken and digital instant-read thermometer inserted in centers registers 170 to 175 ℉Begin checking the temperature about 5 minutes before recommended time.Tip: the custards are done when still quite jiggly in the center.
- Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature. Once cool tightly wrap ramekins and refrigerate for at least 1 hour up to a couple of days.
How to make the creme brulee topping
- Uncover ramekins, if condensation has collected on custards, blot moisture with paper towel. Sprinkle each with about 1 Tablespoon of sugar; tilt and tap each ramekin to distribute sugar evenly, dumping out excess sugar. To caramelize sugar, ignite torch and sweep flame from perimeter of custard toward middle, keeping flame about 2 inches above ramekin, until sugar is bubbling and deep golden brown. For oven broiler method. Place ramekins in a broiler 2 to 3 inches from heat source. Turn on broiler. Cook until sugar melts and browns or even blackens a bit, about 5 minutes.
- Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens and refrigerate, uncovered, to rechill, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve within two hours.
Video
Notes
Your Notes, Tips and Tricks
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Crème Brûlée Flavors and Variations
- Classic Crème Brûlée with Vanilla and Grand Marnier
- Tea-Infused Crème Brûlée - Knot together the strings of 10 bags of Irish Breakfast tea. Follow recipe for lavender Crème Brûlée found in the recipe card below, adding the tea bags to cream. And, Omit adding the lavender to the cream. After simmering the cream, squeeze bags with tongs or press into mesh strainer to extract all liquid. Continue with step 3, adding the tea-infused cream to the eggs and the vanilla extract.
- Raspberry Crème Brûlée. Follow the recipe for lavender Crème Brûlée found in the recipe card below. Omit stirring in the lavender into the cream. Instead, stir in ¼ cup white chocolate chips along with vanilla extract into the warm cream and egg mixture. Spoon a tablespoon of raspberry jam into the bottom of each ramekin then pour into 6- to 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.
More Desserts For Two
Looking for more dessert recipes for two? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Easy Creme Brulee for 2:
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