Recipe, styling and photograph by Dianne Bibby
Baked gorgonzola and sweetcorn brûlée with seed crackers
Ingredients
- knob salted butter, to grease
- 500ml (2 cups) fresh cream
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and bruised
- 3 fresh thyme sprigs + extra, to garnish
- 2 bay leaves
- 125g Gorgonzola, crumbled + 50g extra, to serve
- 3 eggs
- ½ tsp salt
- white pepper, to taste
- 2 corn on the cob, kernels sliced off
- 2 tbsp castor sugar
- extra-virgin olive oil, to fry + extra, to drizzle
- 2 tbsp white sesame seeds, toasted
- store-bought seed crackers of choice, to serve
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 160˚C. Grease 2 round ovenproof dishes of about 12cm diameter each with the butter. Set aside until needed.
Combine the fresh cream, garlic, thyme sprigs and bay leaves in a large saucepan placed over medium heat. Slowly bring the mixture to the boil, then remove from heat and set aside until infused, about 10 minutes. Strain the cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium saucepan and discard all that is caught in the sieve. Add the 125g crumbled Gorgonzola and place over medium heat, stirring continuously until the cheese has melted. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Beat the eggs together in a large bowl. Slowly add the cheesy cream mixture, whisking continuously until incorporated well and the mixture takes on a custard-like consistency. Season with the salt and white pepper.
Divide the corn kernels between the prepared oven dishes. Reserve a handful of kernels to use as garnish later on. Divide the custard between the dishes, then place the dishes in a large roasting tray and fill the tray halfway with hot water. Bake in the preheated oven until the custard is set with a slight wobble in the centre, 35 – 40 minutes. Remove from oven and use a kitchen towel to transfer the dishes from the water bath to a heatproof surface. Set aside to cool for at least 15 minutes.
Sprinkle the castor sugar over the custards and use a kitchen blowtorch in a circular motion above the sugar layer until it melts and caramelises, 1 – 2 minutes. Set aside.
Heat a glug of the extra-virgin olive oil in a small frying pan placed over medium heat. Add the reserved corn kernels and fry until crispy, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
To serve, scatter the crispy corn kernels over the brûlée then crumble the 50g extra Gorgonzola on top. Finish off with a sprinkling of the toasted sesame seeds and a drizzle of the extra-virgin olive oil. Garnish with the fresh thyme. Enjoy with the store-bought seed crackers alongside, for dipping.
Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine. www.imkawebb.com
