Parmesan Rosemary Crème Brûlée

This recipe was originally published in the award-winning cookbook Anna Olson’s Baking Wisdom by Anna Olson (Appetite by Random House, 2023). You can purchase Baking Wisdom here

Ingredients:

For the Frico:

• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

For the Parmesan Crème Brûlée:

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 ounce chunk Parmesan cheese (or 4 ounces Parmesan rinds)
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 large egg

Method:

For the Frico:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Toss the grated Parm with the rosemary. Use a 2 ½ inch cookie cutter to help portion the cheese. Place the cutter onto the lined tray and spoon 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture into the cutter and spread to the edges. Lift up the cutter and repeat, leaving about 2 inches between each portion. Bake for about 5 minutes, until a light golden brown.

For the Parmesan Creme Brûlée:

1. Arrange four 5-ounce ramekins in a large pan where the sides are higher than the ramekins.
2. Heat the whipping cream, half-and-half, shallots, rosemary and Parm chunks in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Do not let the cream simmer or reduce, this is just for infusion of flavour.
3. Whisk the egg yolks and egg in a bowl. Strain the cream into a spouted pitcher. Slowly pour the hot cream over the eggs, whisking constantly until combined. Ladle or pour the custard into the ramekins.
4. Pour boiling water around the ramekins in the pan so it comes no higher than the level of the custard. Carefully place the pan in the oven. Bake the brûlées for 15-18 minutes, or until the custard no longer jiggles when gently tapped. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and cool the brûlées in the water bath for 10 minutes. Remove from the bath and allow to cool on the rack completely.
5. Chill the brûlées before serving
6. Place a frico on top of each brûlée and serve