Vanilla crème brûlée

Serves 6 Desserts and puddings

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Method

To make the vanilla crème, put the cream and vanilla pod into a heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.

Beat the eggs and sugar together in a bowl until smoothly blended. Bring the vanillainfused cream back to the boil, then slowly pour onto the beaten egg mixture, whisking as you do so to combine.

Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook, stirring constantly, over a medium-low heat until the custard thickens and reaches 88C (check the temperature with a cook's digital thermometer). Immediately remove from the heat and pass through fine muslin into a clean bowl.

Press a layer of cling film onto the surface to prevent a skin forming and leave to cool for 20 minutes, or until the custard is at room temperature.

Pour the custard into a highpowered jug blender and blitz for 30 seconds; this will lighten it slightly. Pour the custard into 6 crème brûlée dishes or ramekins, dividing it equally (around 125ml per dish). Cover each dish with cling film, leaving a small gap on one side to allow any moisture to evaporate. Stand the dishes on a tray and chill to set; this will take around 3 hours.

When ready to serve, sprinkle a generous, even layer of demerara sugar over the surface of each custard. Wipe the edge of the dish with a clean cloth.

Using a cook’s blowtorch, caramelise the sugar, starting from the edges and working towards the centre. Take the caramel to a dark brown – this dish is all about balancing the rich, creamy egg custard with the slightly bitter caramel flavour. Allow to to cool for 5 minutes before serving.