The inspiration for this custard came from a dessert served at the (sadly) defunct Ten 01 restaurant in Portland, OR. The flourless chocolate cake with sage ice cream and whiskey-caramel sauce was so good it was declared Dessert of the Year by the Willamette Week in 2008. I thought it would make an interesting variation on crème caramel, and used the Cooks Illustrated recipe as a basic template for proportions and technique. I decided to infuse the custard with fresh sage leaves, and add some bourbon and maple syrup to the caramel sauce. The delicately herbal flavor of the sage is a little mysterious, and it works well intermingled with the bourbon maple caramel sauce. If desired a small dollop of bittersweet chocolate ganache makes a nice addition.

Share: