Vanilla Crème Brûlée

by James Martin
from Good Food Bites

Fresh vanilla adds a delicious fragrance to a classic French dessert in James Martin's luxurious recipe

Servings: 8
Level of difficulty: Intermediate
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients
14 egg yolks
225g caster sugar
2 vanilla pods
1.5 litres double cream
500ml Milk
100g demerara sugar

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 120°C/gas half.

2. Place the egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Halve the vanilla pods with a sharp knife and scrape the seeds into the bowl with the egg yolks. Add in the sugar and whisk together well.

3. Add in the cream and milk whisk well. Strain through a sieve into a clean bowl.

4. Ladle the cream mixture into 12 ramekin dishes. Bake for 2-3 hours until set.

5. Remove from the oven and cool. Once cool, cover and refrigerate for serving later on.

6. Just before serving sprinkle evenly with a thin layer of Demerara sugar.

7. If grilling, preheat the grill and place the baked custards under the grill until the sugar caramelises. Alternately, use a cook's blowtorch to caramelise the sugar. Serve.