A few days ago, I made horchata. I have always loved horchata, but never made it for myself. When we moved to the DC area, my girlfriend found a fabulous little cafe just two minutes away from our apartments and they have really good horchata that inspired me to develop my own recipe.
Although horchata is a beverage, it is more than just a refreshing drink. It is a flavor of its own and I have become so obsessed with that creamy rice milk with warm cinnamon spice and just the right amount of sweetness, so I decided that I need to create more ways to enjoy the beautiful flavors of horchata…
Allow me to introduce you to this horchata crème brûlée. It is fabulous. Creamy, custardy and full of the classic cinnamon, rice milk, almond and vanilla flavors found in horchata.
With the classic sugary crème brûlée topping and a dollop of cinnamon whipped cream this is going to be my go-to summer dessert.
Let’s get started…
You will of course need horchata to make this crème brûlée. If you want to make your own, I would love for you to check out my horchata recipe. You can also pick some up at your local Latin market or restaurant.
In addition to 1 cup of horchata, you will need 5 large egg yolks, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 cup of heavy cream and a pinch of salt.
In a large saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of horchata and place it over medium heat. Cook the mixture while whisking until the sugar has completely dissolved and then set it aside to cool a bit.
While the cream mixture cools, place 5 egg yolks into a large bowl, add a pinch of salt and whisk until smooth.
Once the cream mixture is no longer hot, gradually whisk it into the egg yolks, only adding a little bit at a time.
Once the cream mixture is fully combined with the egg yolks, add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and transfer the mixture into a container that is easy to pour with.
I use a 4 cup measuring cup with a pouring spout and it works great!
Crème brûlée needs to be cooked in a water bath, but do not let that deter you. It is super simple to set up. Start by folding a thin kitchen towel in a way that it will evenly line the bottom of a large deep baking dish. Place four 6-8 ounce ramekins into the baking dish over the towel. Carefully pour the horchata crème brûlée into the ramekins dividing the mixture equally throughout the 4 dishes.
Now add enough hot water to the baking dish to fill the dish about half way up the sides of your ramekins. I am using wider, shallow ramekins, so I don’t need a lot of water, but if you are using taller, more narrow ramekins then you will need more hot water.
A water bath will help your crème brûlée bake evenly and will keep the oven air most enough to prevent the tops of the crème brûlée from cracking.
Very carefully place the baking dish onto the center set rack of a 325 degree oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, depending on how deep your ramekins are.
Your horchata crème brûlée is ready to be taken out of the oven when the very outer edge appears set, but the center is still jiggly. Use a wooden spoon to tap the side of one of the ramekins and if the center ripples like water would, allow the crème brûlée to bake a few minutes longer, but if it jiggles like jello, it is ready to come out.
Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath and let them sit out at room temperature for an hour before transferring them into the refrigerator. Let them chill uncovered for several hours and at this point, they are ready to either serve or cover until you are ready to enjoy them.
Right before you serve your horchata crème brûlée, sprinkle 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar over the surface and brûlée with a chefs torch until bubbly, caramelized and golden brown.
There is so much that I love about this crème brûlée. The interior is creamy and custardy with little flecks of cinnamon throughout, which is delicious, but that top… that crisp, crackly top is everything. It adds the perfect touch of sweetness and bits of texture that bring it all together so beautifully.
Look at the color of that crème brûlée. It has all the wonderful flavors of horchata with a warm kick of a little extra cinnamon. I love topping this with cinnamon whipped cream to add the extra flavor, plus an airy component to balance out the rich custard consistency of the crème brûlée.
This is such a lovely dessert just perfect for spring and summer… and fall and winter, because every time of year is the perfect time of year for crème brûlée.
Horchata Crème Brûlée
Ingredients
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1 cup of horchata
- a pinch of salt
- granulated sugar (for brûléeing)
- chefs torch (for brûléeing)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees
- Bring a saucepan or tea kettle of water to a boil while you prepare the horchata cream mixture
- Combine 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of horchata in a small saucepan
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring consistently, until the mixture begins to simmer and then remove the saucepan from the heat
- While the cream mixture is cooling, whisk 5 egg yolks with a pinch of salt in a large bowl
- Very slowly add the slightly cooled cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking the entire time
- Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and transfer the horchata cream mixture into a container with a pouring spout
- Place four 6-8 ounce ramekins into a large baking dish with a thin towel lining the bottom
- Carefully divide the horchata cream mixture evenly between the 4 ramekins
- Add enough boiling water to the baking dish to come half way up the sides of the ramekins, being careful not to splash any water into the ramekins
- Carefully transfer the baking dish onto the center rack of a 325 degree oven and bake for 35-45 minutes (depending on how deep your ramekins are)
- Once the outer edges of the surface is lightly set, but the inner surface lightly jiggles remove the baking dish from the oven and transfer the ramekins to a cooling rack
- Allow the crème brûlée cool for 1 hour at room temperature and then transfer into the refrigerator to chill uncovered for 2 hours
- After 2 hours of chilling uncovered, the crème brûlée can be served or covered and chilled for several days
- Once ready to serve, sprinkle the tops of each crème brûlée with 1-2 teaspoons of granulated sugar (depending on how wide your ramekins are) and brûlée with a chefs torch
- Garnish with whipped cream and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon
