Sage Juniper Winter Forest Creme Brûlée has the essence of a forest, using sage and juniper berries steeped before adding to the yolk and cream custard.
The Taste Of A Winter Forest or Christmas Morning
There is something about winter that asks us to slow down. The days grow shorter, the light softer, and the world outside seems wrapped in a pale hush, as if the forest itself is holding its breath. This Sage Juniper Winter Forest Crème Brûlée was born in that quiet space between Christmas celebration and the stillness that follows.
Juniper brings the cool, resinous scent of evergreens, pine needles underfoot, frosted branches catching the morning light, while sage adds a gentle warmth, herbal and grounding, like a wood fire burning low. Together, they infuse the cream with the feeling of a winter walk through the woods, cheeks flushed from the cold, heart steady and calm.
A Christmas or New Year’s Dessert
At Christmas or a New Year celebration at home, this dessert feels ceremonial: the crack of caramelized sugar echoing softly after a festive meal, candles flickering nearby, laughter lingering in the air. But it is just as perfect on a solitary winter afternoon, when snow presses against the windows and the only sound is the spoon breaking through the brûléed top. The contrast is everything, cold outside, warm custard within; stillness, then the satisfying crack.
This crème brûlée is less about sweetness and more about atmosphere. It’s a reminder that winter isn’t only meant to be endured, it’s meant to be tasted, breathed in, and savored slowly, one quiet, forest-scented spoonful at a time.
Winter Forest Creme Brûlée
A rich cream custard (dairy or non), with a burnt sugar topping flavored with juniper and sage, dusted with mastic sugar.
All three flavors are known for their winter forest scent and flavor, and since sage grows in my garden all year I am always looking to create new recipes with it.
Chefs, as with all artists, are inspired by some of the most peculiar things.
I like to call this creation, “Winter Forest Creme Brûlée”! Let me tell you how this luscious winter creme brûlée came into being.
Starbucks Inspiration
I walked into a Starbucks shop one day in 2018, and a strange, weird new drink caught my eye. A latte with a sprinkle of pine sugar on top!
Someone must have fallen over in the forest while cutting down their Christmas tree, having forgotten to drink their morning cup of joe to start their day!
Starbuck new holiday drink, some say it tastes like dirt while others say it’s like a walk in the forest.
This was the Christmas of 2018. Fast forward several years and I don’t believe they ever served up the Juniper Latte again.
Lucky for me, I moved on and created the most delicious creme brûlée from the concept I encountered that year.
Winter Forest Scent and Flavor
The flavors were all coming together in my mind, I still had a pot of sage growing in my greenhouse and by dinner this unusually delicious Creme Brulee was ready for dessert!
Sage is a flavor you will find often in my recipes; sauces, sweets and breads:
- Sage Chestnut Sauce – a very Italian sauce made to go over homemade pasta.
- Sage Lemon Tea Cake – a delicately sweet cake made with spelt flour, oats and olive oil.
- Sage Rolls – I make every year for most of the winter holidays.
Winter Forest Sage Juniper and Mastic Creation In My Kitchen
For some weird reason I always have juniper berries in my spice rack.
Juniper berries are what go into the making of gin; add to that some cream, egg yolks, and sugar and you’ve got a spectacular custard.
The pine sugar? I knew exactly what I would use; Mastic.
Mastic is one of my favorite flavors for Greek pastries. It’s a resin from a type of evergreen tree, (easy to find on line or a Middle Eastern Market), that has the most exotic flavor and smell.
Okay. I was all set to go into the kitchen and explore this exotic, woodsy, wintery dessert!
Creme Brûlée
What’s not to love about the simplicity of a three ingredient baked custard.
At its basic form, it is cream, sugar and egg yolks. Anything else can be added but basically that’s it.
So what’s the big deal about those three ingredients?
Fire! With a dusting of sugar across the top of the custard and a torch, suddenly what is creamy on the inside, just became a sweet brittle crust on top!
Winter Forest Creme Brûlée Flavors
While the classic creme brûlée is made with vanilla, which of course tastes amazing, why stop there?
Making this winter forest essence for my creme brûlée, ignited the idea for so many other flavors to use.
Turn this classic into the flavor of a Snickerdoodle by adding cinnamon to the sugar before it’s torched.
A lovely summertime option would be to extract the essence of ‘in season’ lavender flowers into the cream and created a lavender/sugar dust for the top, as in the delicious Lavender Shortbread Cookies.
What Else Goes With Creme Brûlée?
Chocolate, of course. Of course a dark rich chocolate can be added into the cream, sugar and egg yolk mixture and baked to a decadent chocolate brûlée.
Bourbon would also be lovely. Drizzle a little bourbon across the custard after it has baked, sprinkle the sugar on top and torch it. Oh!
Do be careful though. Maybe it would be safer to light a match to it first and let the alcohol burn off and then torch the sugar to create and crust.
How To Make Winter Forest Creme Brûlée
It’s too bad the original coffee creation at Starbucks didn’t take off, but in truth, it just had one too many conflicting flavors.
Coffee is already a dominant flavor. Add to that cream, sugar, sage and juniper berries? Nah! Not good. It did taste like dirt.
Remove the coffee from that combo and you’ve got something really beautiful in both scent and flavor.
Crushing a few juniper berries and chopping fresh sage, slow simmering in a little cream, then turn off the stove and allow the cream to steep… absolutely spectacular!
Crushing a lump of mastic, yes it comes in a small lump of clear resin, mix it with sugar and you’ve got more winter forest scent and flavor to create the pine dust brûlée brittle on top.
Ingredients Needed
What truly sets this Sage Juniper Winter Forest Crème Brûlée apart is its thoughtful, almost woodland-inspired ingredient list, each element chosen not just for flavor, but for the feeling it brings to the table.
- Full cream or full-fat coconut milk forms the foundation of the custard, lending it a luxurious, silky richness. Traditional cream offers comforting familiarity, while coconut milk adds a subtle, wintry softness and a whisper of natural sweetness, making the dessert feel both indulgent and quietly unexpected.
- Juniper berries are the soul of the recipe. Lightly crushed, they release a piney, resinous aroma that instantly evokes evergreen forests and frosted air. Their flavor is cool and clean, grounding the dessert in the landscape of winter rather than the usual holiday spice cabinet.
- Sage brings balance and warmth. Its earthy, slightly savory notes soften the sharpness of the juniper, adding depth and a sense of calm, like the scent of dried herbs hanging in a winter kitchen or a fire smoldering long after the guests have gone home.
- Egg yolks provide the custard’s golden heart, creating that unmistakable crème brûlée texture, silky, delicate, and just set. They bind the flavors together, allowing the herbal notes to linger gently rather than overpower.
- Sugar does more than sweeten. In the custard, it rounds out the herbal tones; on top, caramelized to a brittle sheen, it becomes the signature crack that contrasts beautifully with the soft cream beneath, a small moment of drama in an otherwise quiet dessert.Full cream or full fat coconut milk
- Mastic a rare and resinous treasure, often found at most Greek markets, or you can buy it here online; it lasts forever and is great in cocktails, custards and so many Mediterranean recipes.
Equipment Needed
- 6-ounce Ramekin cups – these ramekin baking cups are the perfect size for this recipe.
- Mixing batter bowl that will be easy to pour from once the batter is made.
- Hand mixer making it easy to whisk both cold and over the stove.
- Measuring cup and measuring spoons for precision.
- Spatula for easy stirring.
- Butane torch – these are very affordable and a fun presentation to use.
- Mortar and pestle or spice grinder – this small and yet powerful spice grinder is what I use for my hard, dried herbs, but works for coffee beans too.
- Bath pan, a simple rectangle cake pan works for this.
- Oven
Sage Juniper Winter Forest Creme Brûlée
Equipment
- 4 6-ounce Ramekin baking cups
- Butane Torch
- Large baking pan for a bath
Ingredients
- 2 cups Full Cream or full cream coconut milk
- 1 tbsp Juniper Berries crushed
- 1 tbsp Fresh Sage chopped
- 4 Egg Yolks room temperature
- 1/2 cup Sugar reserve 1 tablespoon for caramelizing
- 1 tsp Mastic, optional crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325
- Place the crushed juniper berries and sage, in a small pot with the cream and bring to a slow boil. Turn off. Let it cool and steep for about 30 minutes. Strain
- Place egg yolks and sugar in a bowl, and whip until light in color. Slowly pour in cooled cream mixture while stirring.
- Pour this mixture into ramekin cups. Place the cups in a baking dish and pour enough water into the baking dish to create a bath for the ramekin cups, about half way up the cups.
- Bake about an hour or until the center of custard looks fairly firm. It will firm up completely once chilled.
- Cool for 30 minutes. Place in the fridge for 2 hours.
- When ready to serve, mix the reserved 1 tablespoon of sugar with the crushed mastic and sprinkle across the tops of the custard.
- Torch the tops to glaze the sugar, or simply place under the broiler for a short moment, but watch closely so it doesn’t burn.
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I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.