Caroline Shares A Holiday Dessert

November is here, the unofficial start of the holiday season. While we continue to enjoy fall in all its glory, my mind is on Thanksgiving – thinking about the food, the cocktails and designing the table settings (my personal favorite). Lately, I’ve been finding inspiration in the new book, A Year In The French Style by the founders of Antoinette Poisson, a Parisian design team. They share the beautiful rhythm of life in France, from shopping at the local market and antiquing, to cheese making and textile dying. They also include a few classic seasonal French recipes. I couldn’t resist trying the Orange Blossom Crême Brûlée (for holiday research, of course), and I’m happy to say it was delicious…

Vincent Farelly and Jean-Baptiste Martin are the co-founders of Antoinette Poisson, and best known for reviving the savoir faire of, "domino paper" for home decoration and furnishings. As I was paging through their new book, I was inspired by photos of their historic townhouse on the Atlantic coast, and their artistic style and entertaining rooted in French tradition and elegance. And then I stumbled upon their take on crême brûlée, and I had to give it a go. I always thought crême brûlée was a bit tricky and finicky to make, but as it turns out, it's quite simple...

In true French fashion, the ingredient list is simple and it’s likely that you have most of the items on hand. You’ll need eggs, sugar, whole milk, heavy cream, brown sugar and a lime. The only ingredient that was bit more complex was orange blossom water, which isn't easy to find, and so don't sweat it if you have to skip that.

You’ll start off by combining the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl (like this Pinch Everything Bowl) until smooth, then add in the orange blossom water, lime zest, milk and cream and continue stirring. I use these Teak Measuring Spoons for all my baking needs. Once smooth and combined, you can either pour into individual small ramekins or one larger dish (which is what I opted for).

Bake in the oven in a "baine marie" (a roasting dish half-filled with hot water) until just set. They recommend an oven temp of 195 degrees, but I discovered that I needed a slightly higher temperature for mine to set. After letting it cool at room temperature, chill for at least two hours. This is the more time consuming part, so be sure you prep ahead. Before serving, sprinkle with brown sugar and caramelize using a kitchen torch or broil briefly in the oven.

The French do so much so well and this book, A Year In The French Style offers so many unique recipes and interior design ideas that can help inspire changing up the normal go-tos this holiday season.  .