Celery crème brûlée with lacquered bacon skewers and dill seed powder

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 400 ml cream, 30% fat
• 4 tsp celery powder
• 30 g sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 4 g vanilla extract
• 2 pinches of salt
• 1 organic lemon(s), zest
• 50 g raw cane sugar, brown
• 8 slice(s) Bacon, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp agave syrup
• 1 tsp water
• ¼ tsp smoked paprika powder
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp dill seeds

Instructions

Working time approx. 5 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 55 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

Gently heat the celery powder and cream in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and simmer for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Allow everything to cool slightly to below 80°C. In the meantime, beat the sugar and egg yolks until frothy, then add to the cooled cream while stirring. Season with salt. Preheat the oven to 150°C (top/bottom heat). Pour the mixture into suitable soufflé dishes, one for each person. Place the dishes in a suitable large baking dish and pour hot water into the baking dish until the dishes are about 2/3 submerged. Carefully place the baking dish on the middle oven rack and let the cream set in a water bath for about 40-50 minutes. Meanwhile, dry roast the dill seeds in a small pan over medium-high heat until fragrant. Grind the seeds in a mortar and pestle. Wash the lemon in hot water and use a grater to remove the zest, leaving the white part unsweetened. Combine the agave syrup with the water, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl and mix to form a thick marinade. Fold two slices of bacon per skewer into larger parcels, skewer them, and stretch them slightly. Place the skewers on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and brush both sides with the marinade. Place the baking sheet with the bacon skewers in the hot oven over the cream for about the last 15-20 minutes of cooking. If the bacon isn’t yet crispy caramelized, but the cream has already set, increase the temperature and leave it in the oven without the cream until the bacon is done. It shouldn’t be too dry, but should be crispy caramelized. Remove the hot dishes from the water bath and let it cool for a few minutes. Place the ground dill seeds in a small sieve and dust the finished, still-hot bacon skewers with it on both sides. Sprinkle the cream with the lemon zest and sprinkle the raw cane sugar over the cream. Using a blowtorch, flame the sugar until it caramelizes to a golden brown. Depending on the strength of the flame, caramelize the sugar carefully and in several stages, as once the sugar turns black, it is bitter. When serving, place the powdered bacon skewer on the dish containing the flamed cream. Notes: This dish makes a surprising appetizer and combines a variety of flavors. In addition to its slight sweetness, the cream has a light, earthy celery flavor, which is by no means overpowering, but you can taste it. The celery seeds also add slight bitterness. The vanilla flavor goes perfectly with the celery. The lemon zest adds a light, fruity freshness. The bacon skewer is a must, as it adds salty, sweet, and smoky flavors to the small dish. The cayenne pepper adds spiciness, while the roasted and ground dill seed powder adds peppery notes, as well as light caraway and dill flavors, which, together with the delicate celery, create a harmonious flavor. The warm cream will have set, but not as thick as regular crème brûlée that has been chilled in the refrigerator. If you absolutely hate caraway, you should omit the dill seeds. If you want to use a vanilla pod instead of vanilla extract, use about 1 pod for 4 people and maybe a little more sugar, as vanilla extract always contains a lot of sugar. Tip: If you want even more texture and a cold component in the dish, serve some cold apple compote made from tart Granny Smith apples on its own or surprise with a small dollop of tart apple sorbet on the crunchy caramel layer.