This crème brûlée is made with coconut milk, infused orange Tahitian vanilla rum and orange zest is the ultimate exotic elegance! I accidentally came up with this recipe upon testing out my Tahitian vanilla coconut and rum shrimps. The first attempt at making the sauce was not up to my standards. I did not want to waste the cream I had so why not transform it into a dessert by adding other ingredients?! And this is how this crème brûlée recipe was added in my desserts repertoire.
Ingredients you will need for this recipe:
TIPS FOR MAKING THIS DESSERT
Infusing the dark rum: My kitchen smells so good when I do this! It’s important to take the time to infuse the rum with orange peel and Tahitian vanilla bean on low heat. You should end up with this reduced delicious infusion before adding the coconut milk and heavy cream:
Tempering the egg yolk mixture: The process of tempering prevents the eggs from cooking. It consists of pourring ¼ of the rum and cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture and whisk until it’s all combined. If you were to add all the hot rum and cream mixture at once, you will end up with scrambled eggs. I am sure you wouldn’t want that in your crème brûlée!
Vanilla bean seeds: Once you have strained the cream mixture, you can discard the orange peels. However, before discarding the vanilla bean, scrape out all the seeds as much as possible with a pairing knife. They are the flavor bombs!
Baking in a double bath: For the custard to set and has a silky texture, the ramekins need to be cooked in a double bath, in a baking dish filled with hot water. You can fill the baking dish up to halfway through the ramekins height. If you fill more than that, you may end up spilling some water in your custard when transferring the baking dish to the oven. Bake for 35 minutes at 325°F. You will know the custard has set if it wobbles a little when freshly out of the oven.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I use gold rum instead: You can definitely substitute dark with gold rum. I’ve made this dessert with gold rum to see the difference. It is a great alternative if you prefer a milder and less spicy taste to your crème brûlée. Personally I like to use dark rum because of its spicy and smokey flavors that combine very well with the orange. It gives a celebratory Holiday feel to it!
Do I have to use Tahitian vanilla? Tahitian vanilla has floral and spicy notes to them, which adds a distinctive taste in this recipe. I find it offers complementary contrasting notes with rum and orange. If you don’t have the beans, you can use Tahitian vanilla extract by adding 2 teaspoons (10ml) to the recipe.
How to store leftover crème brûlées? You can refrigerate the crème brûlées up to 3 days in a container or sealed the top with a plastic wrap. Moreover, you should only torch the crème brûlées as you serve them. Otherwise, the caramelized sugar will slowly melt into the custard if you refrigerate your crème brûlée torched.
If you like my exotic Tahitian vanilla rum and orange crème brûlée, you can try my pandan crème brûlée!
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Baking dish
- Strainer
- 4 Ramekins
- Kitchen Torch
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (180ml) dark rum
- 1 Tahitian vanilla bean split lengthwise
- ¾ cup (180ml) heavy cream
- ¾ cup (180ml) full fat coconut milk
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 Tbsp + 2 tsp (45g) white granulated sugar
- Zest of half an orange
- Peel of half an orange
- Pinch of salt
- 3 tsp 24-32 g caster sugar or granulated sugar for caramelization
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- In a small saucepan under medium-low heat, infuse rum, split vanilla bean and the peel of half an orange until 3 Tablespoons remains. About 15 minutes.
- Add heavy cream and coconut milk to the reduced rum/vanilla bean mixture. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes, just below the boiling point.
- Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, orange zest of the remaining half orange and pinch of salt until the color lightens to a pale yellow.
- Strain ¼ of the cream mixture over the egg yolk mixture and whisk to temper the egg yolks. Add the remaining cream mixture and whisk until all combined.
- The custard will bake in a double bath. Set ramekins in a baking dish and pour hot water in the dish around the ramekins and fill it to about ⅓ but no more than halfway through the baking dish.
- Pour the custard mixture equally into the ramekins and bake for 35 minutes or until the center wobbles a little. Let it cooled and if served cold, refrigerate.
- Serve warm or cold according to preference.
- When ready to serve, pour about 1 tsp equally over the cooled custard and using a blow torch, caramelize the sugar until amber or dark amber.
Nutrition
* Nutrition disclosures and disclaimer
I discovered and fell in love with Tahitian Vanilla during my trip to French Polynesia in 2019. Even on a cloudy day, the water is so clear and turquoise blue. No filter needed!
