Chefs' Recipes

Crème brûlée

Recipe for crème brûlée by Pete Evans.

By Pete Evans
  • 25 mins preparation
  • 1 hr 5 mins cooking
  • Serves 4
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Ingredients

  • 30 gm sliced almonds
  • 30 gm pistachio kernels
  • 550 ml coconut cream
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthways and seeds scraped
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 2 tbsp coconut sugar, plus extra for dusting (see note)
  • 2 tbsp raw honey
  • 1½ tsp powdered gelatine (such as Great Lakes)
  • To serve: ground nutmeg
Red wine-poached pear
  • 200 ml dry red wine
  • 30 gm (¼ cup) coconut sugar (see note)
  • 1 cinnamon quill
  • 2 cardamom pods, crushed
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 pear, such as William, peeled, cored and quartered

Method

Main
  • 1
    Preheat oven to 140C. Roast nuts on a baking tray until golden (10 minutes). Set aside to cool, then coarsely chop pistachios and reserve both for serving.
  • 2
    Place coconut cream and vanilla bean and seeds in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to the boil, whisking continuously. Remove from heat and strain through a fine sieve.
  • 3
    Whisk yolks, coconut sugar, honey and gelatine in a bowl until sugar dissolves and mixture is thick and foamy (2-3 minutes). Gradually add hot cream, whisking continuously. Strain custard through a fine sieve, then pour into four 200ml ramekins and fill almost to the top. Place ramekins in a deep roasting pan lined with a tea towel and pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until just set, but still slightly wobbly in the centre (50 minutes to 1 hour). Remove ramekins from pan and cool briefly (5 minutes), then refrigerate to set (2-2½ hours).
  • 4
    Meanwhile, for poached pear, combine ingredients except pear and 300ml water in a small saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add pear and cover directly with a round of baking paper. Place a small plate on top to keep pear submerged and bring to a simmer and cook until pear is tender (15-18 minutes). Cool pear in liquid, then thinly slice before serving.
  • 5
    To serve, lightly and evenly dust tops of custard with coconut sugar and caramelise lightly with a blowtorch (be careful – sugar burns easily). Scatter with nutmeg and top with sliced poached pear and roasted almonds and pistachios.

Notes

Note Coconut sugar is available from select delicatessens.