Preheat the oven to 140C/
120C F/Gas 1. Arrange four
ramekins in a large baking dish
with high sides.
Put the lemon peel pieces,
double cream and half the
sugar in a pan and heat until
simmering. Remove from the
heat and leave for 30 minutes
to infuse.
In a bowl, whisk together the
eggs and remaining sugar very
well, followed by the infused
double cream and the lemon
juice. Pass through a fine sieve,
using a spoon to remove any
bubbles or foam from the top
of the mixture.
Divide the lemon custard
among the ramekins (approx.
150g per ramekin). Pour boiling
water carefully into the baking
dish until it reaches halfway up
the sides of the ramekins. Bake
until there is around 2-3cm of
good wobble in the centre of
the custards. Start checking
after 20 minutes, then every 5-10 minutes after that. It’s
better to underbake than
overbake, which can lead to
cracks later on.
Remove from the oven and
carefully transfer each ramekin
to a cooling rack. Allow to cool
for 1 hour before transferring
to the fridge for at least 2 hours
or overnight.
When ready to serve, sprinkle
the top of the custard with a
thin, even layer of sugar, then
caramelise the sugar using a
blow torch – you can do several
layers if you prefer a thicker
crust. Allow the caramelised
crust to cool and harden for 5
minutes before serving. If you
don’t have a blow torch,
preheat the grill to high, then
place the custard dishes on a
baking sheet and grill for
1–2 minutes until the sugar
caramelises and turns golden
brown. Leave to cool and
harden before serving.
Recipes and photographs taken from Sift: the elements of great baking by Nicola Lamb, photography by Sam A Harris (Ebury press, £30).
