
Ingredients
- For the crème brûlée
-
- 250ml/9fl oz milk
- 5 sprigs lemon verbena
- 10 free-range egg yolks
- 175g/6oz caster sugar
- 750ml/1¼ pints double cream
- 50g/2oz demerara sugar
- For the poached pears
-
- 4 pears, peeled, cores removed, stems retained
- 1 lemon, peel and juice
- 225g/8oz caster sugar
- 1 vanilla pod, split, seeds scraped out with a knife
- For the spelt shortbread
-
- 225g/8oz unsalted butter, cubed and softened
- 225g/8oz spelt flour, plus extra for dusting
- 60g/2½oz caster sugar
- pinch salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Preparation method
- For the crème brûlée, preheat the oven to 120C/250F/Gas ½.
- Bring the milk and lemon verbena sprigs to the boil in a pan. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool and infuse, then discard the lemon verbena sprigs.
- In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and caster sugar until pale, fluffy and well combined.
- Add the cooled milk and cream to the eggs and sugar mixture, whisking continuously until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
- Strain the mixture through a sieve, then divide it equally among four ramekins. Place the ramekins onto a baking tray.
- Transfer the crème brûlées to the oven and cook for 1½-2 hours, or until the crème brûlée mixture has set but still has a slight wobble.
- Meanwhile, for the poached pears, place the pears, lemon peel, lemon juice, 150g/5oz of the caster sugar, the vanilla pod and vanilla seeds into a pan. Add enough water to just cover the pears.
- Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until the pears are tender. Remove the pears from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper until cool.
- For the spelt shortbread, increase the oven temperature to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
- Place the butter and flour into a bowl and rub together using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Sprinkle a little demerara sugar over the surface of each crème brûlée and use a chefs’ blow torch to heat the surface until the sugar has caramelised.
- To serve, place one crème brûlée onto each of four serving plates. Place a piece of shortbread alongside. Place a caramelised poached pear onto each shortbread biscuit.
30 mins to 1 hour preparation time
Over 2 hours cooking time
Serves 4