Spiced Chocolate Lentil Crème Brûlée

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Prepare lentil puree as recommended. Combine cream with 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla bean, cocoa, cinnamon, cayenne, and chocolate chips in a saucepan. Bring mixture to a simmer, whisking often until chocolate has fully melted and incorporated. Remove saucepan from the stove top. Allow flavours to infuse for 10-15 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together. Heat cream mixture slightly and add 1/10 of hot mixture to the eggs while whisking continuously (this will temper the eggs and prevent them from curdling). Add remaining cream and whisk together. Strain with a fine sieve (to remove anything that was not fully combined).
4. Pour the strained base into 8 small ceramic bowls. Place bowls in a cake pan filled with warm water 3/4 way up the bowls. Bake at 325°F for 20-25 minutes, or until the middle of the custard has a slight “jiggle.” Remove from oven, allow custard to cool completely. Sprinkle sugar on top and melt the sugar with a torch until it is golden brown. Alternatively, using the broiler setting on the oven can achieve similar results. Enjoy immediately!