Crème brûlée

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 150°C fan/170°C conventional. Arrange four 150–200 ml ramekins in a large roasting tin so there's space between them.

2. 2

   Pour the double cream into a medium saucepan. Add the split vanilla pod (with seeds still inside). Gently heat over a medium heat until just below simmering — small bubbles at the edge, not a rolling boil.

3. 3

   While the cream warms, whisk the large egg yolks with 75 g of the caster sugar and a pinch of fine sea salt until the mixture is paler and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.

4. 4

   Remove the saucepan from the heat. Discard the empty vanilla pod, scrape any seeds back into the cream, then temper the yolks by whisking a ladleful of hot cream into the yolks, repeating slowly until about a third of the cream is in. Then whisk the yolk mixture back into the remaining cream.

5. 5

   Pass the custard through a fine sieve into a jug to remove any cooked bits and to catch any stray shell. Pour the strained custard evenly into the ramekins. Place the ramekins in the roasting tin and carefully pour enough hot water into the tin to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

6. 6

   Bake in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes. The custards are done when the edges are set but the centres still wobble slightly when the ramekin is nudged.

7. 7

   Carefully lift the ramekins from the water bath and set them on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes.

8. 8

   Once at room temperature, cover each ramekin and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, until fully set.

9. 9

   When ready to serve, sprinkle an even layer (about 15 g) of the remaining caster sugar over each custard. Caramelise the sugar with a kitchen blowtorch, moving the flame constantly until evenly golden and glassy (about 1–2 minutes). If you don't have a blowtorch, place the ramekins under a very hot grill for 3–4 minutes, watching continuously.

10. 10

    Let the caramelised sugar cool and harden for 5 minutes before serving so it sets into a crisp shell.

Tips

• Use a fine sieve after tempering to remove any tiny cooked bits for the smoothest custard.
• If you don't have a blowtorch, chill the custards well then use a very hot grill; watch constantly as sugar can burn quickly.
• For an even caramel top, tap the ramekin gently after sprinkling sugar to level it before torching.
• Make ahead: the custards can be made up to 48 hours in advance; caramelise just before serving for maximum crunch.
• If the custard cracks or weeps, it was likely overbaked; next time reduce oven time by 3–5 minutes and rely on the wobble test.

Substitutions

• double cream → single cream 500 ml plus 100 ml whole milk (keeps texture looser)

  Noticeably different

• vanilla pod → 1 tsp vanilla extract

  Stays close

• caster sugar → fine granulated sugar (same weight)

  Stays close

Nutrition

Per serving · estimated

710

Calories

7 g

Protein

35 g

Carbs

60 g

Fat

1 g

Fibre

34 g

Sugar

160 mg

Sodium

FAQ