Blueberry Lemon Crème Brûlée

I’ve been naughty.  I haven’t posted in over a week, and I am terribly sorry.  I broke one of the cardinal rules of food blogging – consistent posts.  I have been stressed by this because, well, I get stressed.  I did have something important going on though...

We have been in Charleston, SC for our first wedding anniversary.  If you have ever been to “Chucktown” or know anything about it, you know that the Holy City has absolutely amazing food everywhere you turn.  (If you ever need recommendations, let me know!)  Sooo, even though I was a slacker when it came to writing posts, I was hard at work doing research for future posts!  (A.k.a eating a lot of food and drinking a lot of wine.) 

But have no fear, I’m back… a few pounds heavier, but with plenty of great memories and food inspirations! 

So on to the food... Crème brûlée is one of my favorite desserts and I'm always trying out new flavor combinations, like these blueberry lemon cuties.  Crème brûlée is a dish some people are intimidated to make, but this recipe is really simple and impressive to entertain with.  You can make these a day ahead and flame the sugar on top in front of your family and friends for some extra ooohs and aaahs!

Printable recipe HERE

Makes 3 crème brûlées

Ingredients

½ cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

3 egg yolks

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

¼ cup fat free sour cream

¾ cup heavy cream

1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest

3 tablespoons brandy

Sugar topping (refined sugar or raw/turbinado sugar) – about 1/3 cup total

Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place 3 standard size ramekins in a baking dish.  Add a small handful of blueberries to the bottom of each ramekin, reserving some for topping if desired.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until pale yellow in color.  Add the granulated sugar and whisk to dissolve.  Add the sour cream, heavy cream, lemon zest and brandy and whisk to combine.  Pour equal portions of the cream mixture into each ramekin. 

Pour warm water into the baking dish until it covers the bottom half of the ramekins, making certain not to get any water into the ramekins.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the centers are just set and jiggle slightly. 

Remove the ramekins from the water bath, and set aside to cool for about 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 6 – 7 hours until completely cooled. 

To serve, top each ramekin with some of the refined or raw sugar, and brown with a kitchen torch or broil just until the sugar is browned and caramelized on top (brûlée = burnt).