Kvass Brûlée

A Latvian Spin on Creme Brûlée, amplified with the delicious flavour of Kvass.

Ingredients:

75g Caster Sugar

170g Pilpiena Biezpiens (or cottage cheese, if you can't get Biezpiens)

3 Eggs

1/4 Cup Kvass Syrup

400ml 35% Cream

For the Kvass Sugar

500ml Porter Kvass (the dark stuff)

100g Caster Sugar

Method:

Put caster sugar and Biezpiens in a large metal bowl, then blend them together until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs and kvass syrup, and blend it altogether, until smooth. Put the bowl over a simmering pot of water - make sure the water isn't touching the bowl - we're cooking with steam, not boiling water.

Add the cream, and start whisking. This is gonna be a lot of whisking, so keep at it (about 15-20 minutes). Continuously whisk over the simmering water until the mixture thickens to a soft, jelly-like texture, with demarcation lines that settle after 1-2 seconds. More indicators: you'll see it doesn't "stir", it'll look a little bit wobbly (like jelly). Take it off at this point, keep whisking, then pour the mixture into individual ramekins (I used four ramekins).

Let it cool until it's cool to the touch. Transfer to the fridge.

While its cooling, add the sugar and the porter kvass to a pot or non-stick pan. On a medium heat, boil off the water until no steam comes off. So, stir with a silicon spatula. Watch for bubbles, and steam. When it gets really thick, the bubbles will be slow and big, and when burst, a little steam will come out. Once the steam stops, immediately take off the heat, and pour the syrup onto a sheet of baking paper, and let it cool until solid.

When its is hard, break it into pieces, and then blend into a powder.

When the kvass creams are chilled, sprinkle the kvass sugar on top (a decent layer, a couple millimeters thick) and blowtorch until the sugar melts and becomes a single crispy disc.

Top with some berries, enjoy!