This is a much-loved Sugar Club dessert by pastry chef Fred Flamme. The unusual combination of fragrant herb and aromatic spice, mixed with the sweet cream of the brulee, the fresh black fig and the bittersweet caramel glaze makes for a sensational dessert.
Out of season you can substitute black figs with a number of different fruits, we often use feijoas or sliced banana, you could also try stone fruit or berries. (See tips for notes on fresh figs.)
At this time of year you could try fresh lavender from your garden. English lavender, with the more compact flower head, is best.
Fresh vanilla is also a must; pods can be obtained from leading supermarkets. Madagascan or bourbon vanilla is the variety that you are most likely to find. Tahitian vanilla is very rare. (See this month's kitchen feature on vanilla for more information).
You should use a gas torch to caramelize the top of your brulee (see tips on caramelising).
Serves 6 using a 120ml brulee mould.
N.B. for a greater ratio of caramel topping to brulee cream choose a dish with more width than depth. We use a dish 12cm wide.
 
I Brulee  
100 ml -
Semi skimmed milk  
500 ml -
Double cream  
6 -
medium Egg yolks  
90 g -
caster sugar  
1 -
Vanilla bean  
2 g -
Dried lavender flowers  
  0r 4 g of fresh English lavender flowers  
   
 
II Caramel crust  
   
100 g -
Caster sugar  
4 tbsp -
water  
     
 
III Main recipe  
     
6 -
Fresh ripe black figs  
6 -
pre prepared brulee  
1 -
Caramel crust mix  
     

I. Brulee
 

1.Pour the milk, cream and lavender flowers into a large pan. Split the vanilla pod down the middle, scrape out the contents and drop it and the skin into the pot. Bring to the boil.
 
  2. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for about ten minutes. While it's cooling, separate the egg yolkes from the whites and mix them gently with the sugar.
Your cream mixture should now be cool enough to mix with the eggs yolks and sugar. Do not whisk; mix gently with a wooden spoon; you do not want air in your brulee.
 

 

 3. When your cream mixture is well amalgamated, pass it through a fine strainer to remove the bean skin and lavender flowers. Portion into 6 ramekins or brulee moulds.
   
  4. Pre-heat your oven to 140 degrees C. and boil a kettle of water.
   
  5. Place your 6 brulee in a deep oven tray or dish. Pour in enough boiling water to fill the try to about half way up the side of the brulee moulds. This keeps the temperature around the brulee at a constant 100 degrees C. Place in the oven.
   
6. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the middle becomes jelly like.
 
7. Carefully remove the oven dish from the oven. Take the brulee from the water and cool it in the refrigerator for about six hours or overnight.
 
 

II. Caramel
  Making caramel can be dangerous, boiling sugar is extremely hot, if splashed it will stick to your skin and burn like crazy, so take care.
 
  1. Place a sturdy stainless steel oven dish or aluminum takeaway container into a clean dry sink.

 
  2. In a small heavy based pan bring the sugar and water to the boil. Do not stir or move the pan or the sugar will crystallize. When the water evaporates you will be left with liquid sugar.
   
  3. As the temperature rises your caramel will start to turn a golden tan colour progressively getting darker as it cooks. As a matter of personal preference, if you like your caramel sweet then take the pot off the heat when the caramel is light golden brown. If your palate appreciates a bitter taste, which will cut through the sweet cream, take the caramel to a dark brown. Stop somewhere in the middle if you're unsure.
   
 

4. When the caramel has reached the required colour, pour it into the dry tray in the dry sink.

N.B. If water is present, your caramel will turn to syrup after much crackling and splattering.
   
  5. In a small heavy based pan bring the sugar and water to the boil. Do not stir or move the pan or the sugar will crystallize. When the water evaporates you will be left with liquid sugar.
   
  6.Leave the caramel to cool for about twenty minutes.
   
  7. When cold smash, what looks like a piece of brown stained glass, into small pieces.
   
  8. Using a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle grind it into a course powder.
   
  9. Keep in the freezer, caramel powder will quickly turn into a solid lump if left out in the open.
  Remove the brulee from the fridge and place a sliced fig on top, sprinkle the top of the brulee and fig with powdered caramel then burn with a gas torch till all the caramel melts to a glass finish.
Bon Appetit!
   
Recipe by Pastry Chef Frederic Flamme