Peppermint-White Chocolate Creme Brulee

Beautifully-festive, wonderfully-delicious, holiday-inspired Peppermint-White Chocolate Creme Brulee is a perfect special dessert for the Christmas season.

I was first introduced to classic Creme Brulee back in my working-in-corporate-America days, where I participated in more than my fair share of marathon business dinners. While I certainly enjoyed the fabulous food and the experience of dining in fantastic restaurants that I would have never dined in on my own accord, I didn't always enjoy making small talk and sitting in dining chairs for hours-on-end through course after course.

Besides the seemingly endless wine pours, do you want to know what got me through a-many of those marathon dinners?

Knowing that I was going to get to enjoy my all-time favorite for dessert creme brulee. The promise of ordering that silky smooth custard waiting just below that crackly brulee'd sugar crust made the hours of chit-chat and schmoozing all worthwhile. Or at least made them seem a little less cumbersome, anyway.

With my love for creme brulee, it was truly only a matter of time before I was determined to learn how to make creme brulee at home. Turns out, it's actually pretty simple to make! And so, with the 'basic' classic creme brulee down, I decided to turn to making a holiday-inspired version.

Creme brulee is truly a versatile dessert, providing a perfect canvas for different flavor variations. For a special Christmas treat, I used melted white chocolate, a touch of peppermint extract, and ... the candy that is everywhere during the holiday season ... crushed candy canes to whip up this Peppermint-White Chocolate Creme Brulee.

Now to be 100% honest, when I first came across the idea of peppermint creme brulee, I was skeptical. Very skeptical. But when I find something I'm skeptical about, that just gives me all the more reason to have to try it out. See, sometimes I find peppermint to be too overwhelming a flavor, and I wondered ... would peppermint be too strong and off-putting in this delicate-and-creamy custard?

The answer ... in short ... is, no. Not if you're careful with the amount of peppermint and don't go overboard with it. A small touch of peppermint in creme brulee is very tasty! I used just 1/8th teaspoon peppermint extract in the custard itself to keep the flavor mild, and sprinkled crushed candy canes on top of the still-warm bruleed sugar topping for a festive touch.

The result? A beautifully-festive, wonderfully-delicious holiday-inspired Peppermint-White Chocolate Creme Brulee perfect for the Christmas season. And I must say, it would have been the perfect reward to get me through those marathon business dinners, too.

Peppermint-White Chocolate Creme Brulee

Source: Adapted from The Best Recipe by the editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine and Elegantly Easy Creme Brulee by Debbie Puente
(Printable recipe)

Ingredients

1 T. butter, softened
8 oz. good-quality white chocolate, chopped
6 egg yolks
3 T. granulated sugar
1 1/2 c. whipping cream
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. peppermint extract
additional granulated sugar for tops
3 to 4 T. crushed candy canes for tops
fresh raspberries {optional}

Directions

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Generously butter the inside of 6 ramekins with softened butter. Line the bottom of a 9x13" glass baking dish with a paper towel. Place ramekins on top of the paper towel this keeps the ramekins from sliding around in the baking dish.
Place white chocolate in a double boiler (or heatproof bowl set over simmering water); stir constantly until melted. Remove from heat.
In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks until slightly thickened. Add sugar and whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture is pale-ish yellow. Add whipping cream, vanilla, and peppermint extract; whisk until well blended. Add melted white chocolate; whisk until well blended. Divide mixture evenly between the 6 prepared ramekins.
Set baking dish in the oven and create a water bath by carefully pouring warm water (hot from the faucet) into the pan until it reaches halfway up ramekins. Bake uncovered until custard is set around the edges but still jiggly in the center, about 45 to 50 minutes. {Longer baking time may be needed for deeper ramekins.}
Remove baking pan from oven and leave ramekins in water bath until cooled. Once cooled, remove ramekins from water bath, cover with plastic wrap, and chill at least 2 hours {and up to 2 days}.
When ready to serve, sprinkle 2 teaspoons sugar over the top of each custard. Use a kitchen torch to melt the sugar. Immediately sprinkle crushed candy canes on top of the melted sugar. Rechill custards for just a few minutes before serving. {Don't do the brulee sugar topping much more than about 45 minutes before serving as it begins to deteriorate fairly quickly.} Serve with fresh raspberries, if desired.

Enjoy!

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