For a local Herb Group's AGM we served them lemon verbena crème brûlée for dessert along with shortbread and crystallised lemon verbena leaves. I used to judge a restaurant by the quality of it's crème brûlée and in my opinion this definitely ranks highly (especially as it is my Grand-mother's recipe).
This recipe is taken from Jekka's Herb Cook Book (page 175) and serves 4.
Ingredients:
- 225 ml milk
- 1 handful of lemon verbena leaves, finely chopped
- 7 egg yolks
- 100 g caster sugar
- 60 ml double cream
- 50 g demerara sugar
Steps:
- Pre-heat the oven to 140 Deg C.
- Put the milk in a small pan with the chopped lemon verbena leaves, bring to the simmer, remove from the heat and leave to cool and infuse.
- Place the egg yolks in a bowl with the caster sugar and whisk until pale and thick.
- Add the cooled infused milk and the cream and whisk well.
- Pass through a fine meshed sieve.
- Ladle the mixture into four ramekin dishes and set them in a roasting tin.
- Pour enough water to come to three-quarters of the way up the side (usually best to do this once the tray is in the oven).
- Pop in the oven and cook for 1 hour.
- Leave to cool and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Just before serving, sprinkle with demerara sugar over the top of each pudding and caramelise with either a blow torch or by putting them under a hot grill.
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