CREME BRULEE

 

Velvety smooth creamy custard with the traditional caramelised Demerara sugar hard crust.  Crème Brulee has been eaten since the seventeenth century and was known as burnt cream.

 

INGREDIENTS

(makes 8)

 

500ml single cream

200ml top gold milk

130g caster sugar

1 vanilla pod

5 egg yolks

1 egg white

100g Demerara sugar

 

This is a really simple recipe to follow, pre heat your oven to 120 degrees.  In a saucepan gently bring almost up to a simmer but not, the cream, milk, half the sugar and the vanilla pod and seeds, take off the heat and leave to infuse for a few minutes, then pass through a sieve into a jug.

 

Whisk together the rest of the sugar with the egg yolks and white until thick and creamy, with the whisk on low speed slowly pour in the hot milk into the egg yolk mix.  Whisk well and now pour in to your eight ramekins, place the ramekins into a roasting dish and 2/3 fill the dish with water and pop in the oven until set for approx. 1hr 15 minutes.

 

Chill the custards and when ready to serve, sprinkle on the Demerara sugar to just cover the surface and either pop under a really really hot grill or using a blow torch caramelise the Demerara sugar.  I have tried this both ways and with out a professional grill I found the Demerara sugar did not caramelise as well as with a blow torch, and if I am honest it is much more fun with the blow torch, must be the excitement of fire !  Serve immediately.