Creme brûlée is a French classic and also a personal favorite of mine. So what happens when this classic French dessert collides with an Irish tradition? You have Mint Creme Brûlée!

With St. Patrick’s Day quickly approaching, I am reminded of my severe fascination with turning foods green. Growing up, my mom transformed everything from milk to bread the shade of shamrock so perhaps that’s just the inner child in me. March 17th has turned into one of my favorite holidays to celebrate. Last year’s festivities involved frolicking the streets of Chicago and sipping green beer.

In honor of Mr. Patrick himself, I came up with the idea to make mint creme brûlée. Mint and Oreo’s are a match made in heaven so, of course, had to incorporate them in the dessert.

Mint Creme Brûlée

Heat your one to 250 degrees.

Start by scalding 2 cups of heavy cream on the stove. Add one teaspoon of vanilla extract and one teaspoon of mint extract. Finding mint extract can be very challenging but don’t fret, peppermint extract tastes very similar.

While you are scalding the cream, mix 3 egg yolks and one whole egg in a bowl. Then, incorporate 1/3 cup of sugar evening in the eggs.

After you have scalded the cream, pour about 1/2 cup of the the hot cream in your egg/sugar mixture while whisking. This gets the eggs used to the temperature so they do not cook and get clumpy. Once mixed, it is safe to pour the rest of the cream mixture in.

Next, color your brûlée to the green shade of your choice.

As for the oreo cookie, you have two options. You can either bake the oreo in the creme brûlée or crumble the cookie and sprinkle it before serving.

If you are baking the oreo in the creme brûlée, place it in the center of the ramekin and pour the cream mixture on top. You will notice the oreo floats. I think this makes for a unique and interesting presentation.

Next, place your ramekins in a pan filled with boiling water (be sure not to splash water in your ramekin). The water should be about 1/2 way up to the ramekin’s height. Next place your pan carefully in the oven. By using the “water bath” technique you are providing a low and consistent temperature for the custard to cook evenly.

Cook your creme brûlée until it is mostly solid but slightly jiggly in the center. This can take up to an hour. Once cooked, let your ramekins chill in the refrigerator. Once chilled, the creme brûlée will harden completely.

So what makes creme brûlée unique? The different textures of the custard. Typically creme brûlée has a hard surface (sort of like a shell) which compliments the creamy texture underneath it. To create the hard top to the dessert, sprinkle a light layer of sugar and torch it until it caramelizes and hardens. I decided against this method as I wanted to keep the dessert the pretty green color. If you do not own a kitchen torch, you can use the broil setting on your oven and watch for the sugar to turn a slight brown color.

Chill your creme brûlée one last time and it is ready to serve!

Pair this dessert with a corned beef and cabbage dinner and you have yourself a pot of gold.