Creme Brulee

Not as complicated a dessert as you  might expect; creme brulee is in fact super easy, fairly quick, and perfect to accompany the British strawberries that are now in season.

For the custard:

1.5oz granulated sugar

5 egg yolks

430ml double cream

1.5 tsp vanilla essence/vanilla bean paste/vanilla pods

For the pralin; 

2oz flaked almonds

2oz granulated sugar

Place the cream in a pan and heat gently until hot but not boiling.  Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar for 2-3 minutes.  They'll turn pale and almost double in volume, keep whisking until the mixture thickens enough that when you lift the beaters, it forms a ribbon on the surface that slowly dissolves back into the mix. 

(Extremely hard to photograph!)

Very slowly dribble in the hot cream, stirring/whisking all the while* (- see note below).  Be careful not to pour too much in at once or the eggs will cook too fast and you'll end up with a scrambled mess!

*Depending on what texture you want, you can either keep whisking as you pour the cream in which gives a lighter slightly mousse-y texture, or for a denser texture just stir briskly with a wooden spoon. 

Return the mixture to the pan and heat gently, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens.  Make sure not to overheat it - don't let it boil!  If you're feeling technical about it, use a jam thermometer to make sure it doesn't go above 74C, but you should be able to see when it's ready by just keeping a sharp eye on it and stirring all the time!

Keep stirring until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon.

Remove the pan from the heat and pass the custard through a sieve.  Stir in the vanilla.

Pour into ramekins, bung in the fridge for a few hours and hey presto, creme brulee!

Well nearly!  That's the 'creme' bit, next for the brulee: sprinkle the top with a layer of granulated sugar and toast under a grill until it caramelises.

Alternatively you can top the ramekins with a layer of pralin - blitzed caramel and toasted almonds; utterly delicious!  Toast the almonds in a hot pan until golden, and spread on a baking tray lined with a layer of greaseproof paper.  Place the sugar in a small pan and add enough water just to wet the sugar.  Heat gently, stirring every now and then until the sugar has completely dissolved.  Turn up the heat and boil the syrup without stirring until it turns a golden brown; keep a sharp eye on it as it turns quite suddenly and tastes awful if you burn it! (photos and more detail on making caramel here)  Remove from the heat straight-away and pour over the almonds.  Leave to cool completely before blitzing in a blender to a fine crumbly texture.  Sprinkle over the ramekins just before serving.