Crème brulée

Perennially popular, this heavenly combination of chilled baked custard with a brittle topping of caramelised sugar is a staple on most bistro menus. Translated literally as ‘burnt cream’ it’s surprisingly simple to make at home (particularly if you have a kitchen blowtorch, though this is not essential).

MAKES 6

PREPARATION TIME 15 minutes (+ 20 minutes standing and 3 hours chilling)

COOKING TIME 25 minutes

750 ml (26 fl oz/3 cups) pouring (whipping) cream

1 vanilla bean, split lengthways and seeds scraped

6 egg yolks

75 g (2¾ oz/¹/₃ cup) caster (superfine) sugar, plus 110 g (3¾ oz/½ cup), extra, to sprinkle

1 Preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F/Gas 2–3). Place six 160 ml (5¼ fl oz/²/₃ cup) heatproof ramekins in a large roasting pan.

2 Put the cream and vanilla seeds in a medium saucepan and bring almost to the boil. Remove from the heat.

3 Use a balloon whisk to whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until combined. Whisk in the hot cream mixture until just combined (you don’t want it to be frothy). Strain the custard into a jug and divide evenly among the ramekins. Use a tablespoon to remove any air bubbles from the surface of each custard (pic 1).

4 Add enough boiling water to the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of theramekins. Bake for 20 minutes or until the custards are set, but still a little wobbly in the centre when the ramekins are shaken gently. Transfer the custards to a wire rack and set aside for 15 minutes to cool slightly, then place in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 3 hours or until well chilled.

5 Sprinkle the custards evenly with the extra sugar (pic 2) and use a kitchen blowtorch (see tip) to caramelise the sugar (pic 3). Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the caramel to cool and set before serving. If you don’t have a blowtorch, put the extra sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a small heavy-based saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, brushing down the side of the pan often with a pastry brush dipped in water to remove any sugar crystals. Cook, without stirring, for 5 minutes or until the syrup is deep golden. Remove from the heat and allow the bubbles to subside. Pour evenly over the chilled custards and set aside for 1 minute or until the caramel sets.

VARIATION

Vanilla and strawberry crème brulée: Spread 2 teaspoons of strawberry jam over the base of each ramekin before adding the custard mixture.

TIP The most efficient way to caramelise the sugar layer on top of a crème brulée is scorching it with a small kitchen blowtorch. These are available from speciality kitchenware stores.