A summery take on the French classic, this lemon crème brûlée is fresh, tart and sweet.
Crème brûlée, with its sweet, custardy center under a layer of caramelized sugar, is one of the most popular desserts in French cuisine. With its delicate elegance, it has stood the test of time for over 350 years; the first known recipe already appeared in 1691 in François Massialot's cookbook, Le Cuisinier Royal et Bourgeois.
Based on a mixture of egg yolk, cream and sugar, the cream is first flavored with vanilla before being cooked either in an oven or in a bain-marie to achieve its signature consistency. The highlight is of course cracking the thin, hardened layer of caramelized sugar, which provides the cream with its distinctive crunch.
It is perhaps the simplicity of the traditional vanilla cream that makes culinary experimentation with new flavors so exciting, while still retaining its timelessness. New interpretations show that there are no limits to creativity here: Crème brûlée is no longer served by itself, but is also found in baked goods such as donuts, cookies, and even in halved, hollowed-out lemons.
The last variant in particular is ideal for presenting lemon crème brûlée, which adds a sweet, tangy freshness to the classic dessert on hot days. Refined with lemon zest (or even lemon juice), this version impresses with its tart elegance and is the perfect end to an extended summer dinner.
