Vanilla flavoured Creme Brulee

Ingredients

250ml double cream

75ml full fat milk

1 vanilla pod, scraped

4 egg yolk

50g caster sugar

and 3 to 4 table spoons of caster sugar for the topping

2 teaspoons of vanilla essence

In this recipe the dishes that I always use in the restaurant are shallow ones just so that there is more of a crispy topping.

Method

Turn on the oven to 1400C, 375oF. Put the milk, cream and the vanilla pod into the pan and heat until you reach boiling point.. Then turn off the heat and cover the pan annd leave to infuse for 10 minutes.

Whisk the egg yolks and 50g of the caster sugar together until you get it pale and thick, add in the vanilla essence and pour the boiling cream onto the mixture, stir in well, then evenly pour into the 4 shallow ramekin dishes.

Cook in a water bath (bainmarie) in the oven until just set and no more, which should take 20 minutes. Leave to cool.

Once cool, sprinkle with a thin layer of caster sugar, get a blow torch and carefully caramelise until you gat a nice golden brown colour. If you don’t have a blow torch the you can use your grill of the oven, make sure its very hot and place the 4 ramekins under, watching closely the whole time until they reach a nice golden colour again. Leave to cool and serve within 2 hours.

Brian Maule at Chardon d’Or Restaurant, 176 West Regent Street, Glasgow, G2 4RL

Tel : 01412483801 e : info@brianmaule.com www.brianmaule.com