Crème brulée, dairy-free

Side view of ramekins of creme brulées, ready to eat
About crèmes brulées... they're the bomb, yes.  But my challenge has always been to find the non-dairy or lactose-free version.  When I've made the coconut cream version, so good yes, but there is an underlying coconut taste.  So I tried a soy cream and soymilk version this time, and yes, it also had an underlying soy taste, but the silkiness of the custard was pretty darn close to the classic version.

Here's the recipe : 

5 egg yolks
25 cl soy milk
25 cl soy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon agar agar
1 vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

+ 50 g sugar to sprinkle on top once cooked

In a saucepan over medium heat, simmer milk and cream with the contents of a vanilla bean (or extract) and sugar.  Take a half a cup of this warmed mixture and dissolve agar agar in it, then return this mixture to the saucepan, whisking until well blended (2 minutes).  Remove from heat.

Warm oven to 120° C (250° F). Prepare a water bath by boiling water and filling a deep pan about 1/2 inch high with the water.  Fill oven-proof ramequins with the creme brulée batter - until about 1/2 from the top.  Place these ramequins in the water bath (making sure no water splashes into ramequins) and bake for about 40-50 minutes, or until they no longer jiggle.  Remove from oven and allow to cool, and refrigerate, even overnight.  

Just before serving, sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of sugar evenly in each ramequin to the edges, then broil or use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar.  Serve readily, the crispiness won't last (as the moisture of the crème brulée will melt the sugar).

Enjoy, everyone !

A tray of creme brulées in a tray near the windowPerfect portion size, creaminess and non-dairy