Crème brûlée

I do not know why but there is something so satisfying about an egg custard. Just cream and egg set in a dish that you eat and the king of them must be the Crème brûlée. If done properly, topped with a crisp crust of caramelised sugar that you have to break through with your spoon. That satisfying crunch before you get to the rich cream custard underneath. As you can image I quite like them.

You will need

450ml/16floz double cream

50ml/2floz whole milk

1 vanilla pod

5 egg yolks

75g/2½oz caster sugar

40g/1½oz caster sugar or more, for the topping

Now the classic way to make this dish I have always been told is to use a shallow dish, not a deep sided ramekin. Now this is not always possible but do the best you can. Also it makes it very difficult to place the dish in a bain-marie when you place them in the oven.

First separate your egg and get the egg yolks in a bowl then add the 75g/2½oz of caster sugar to the yolks. Now in a pan add the double cream and milk then split your vanilla pod and scrap out the seeds and put them in to the pan with the milk. If you do not have a vanilla pod then you could just use vanilla extract but the pod is best for this.

Now pout the pan on the heat and let that heat up to almost boiling, or a high simmer. While the milk is heating up whisk the sugar into the egg yolks. Once the milk is hot slowly pour some over the eggs and sugar and work that together then add the rest whisking it together to make the custard. Do not over work it as you do not want frothy custard but a moth mix.

Now preheat the oven to 150c/300f and take your dished and place them in the tray you are going to be baking them in. Now take out the vanilla pod from the custard and ladle the custard in to you dished and place them in to the bain-marie dish. Now carry this over to your oven as close as you can to the door. Fill the bain-marie with hot water so it is half way up the crème brûlée dish. Then place that in the oven and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes until it set firm but still has a little movement, you do not want a sold custard.

Once cooked take them out of the oven and let them cool, then chill in the fridge. When you are ready to serve them take them out of the fridge, sprinkle a thin layer of sugar over the surface do not use all the sugar at once. Then for the best result use a blowtorch or pop it under the grill. Wait until a thin layer of caramel starts to form, then repeat until you have a nice dark layer of caramelised sugar over the top. Then let it cool and harden a little before serving.