Crème Brûlée

Who can resist the twin temptations of a perfectly prepared Crème Brûlée?  Helping you to craft the ideal balance of crispy, sugary shell and creamy, indulgent underside, this fabulous recipe is packed with tips! We dare you to try it....

Ingredients – Serves 6

  • 6 ramekins in a water bath (deep ovenproof dish ¼ filled with water)
  • ½ pt milk
  • ½ pt cream
  • Ramekin of sugar
  • Vanilla essence
  • 3 eggs and 1 yolk
  • Soft brown sugar
  • Fruit compote of season

Method

  1. Pour the milk and cream into a pan, with a vanilla pod or essence.  Bring almost to the boil.
  2. Whisk eggs and sugar in a bowl, then whisk milk and cream in.
  3. Strain into a jug and divide amongst ramekins.
  4. Place ramekins into a water bath (a deep sided baking tin filled with water works well – the water needs to come half way up the sides of the ramekin dish).
  5. Cook at 180C until set (approx. 20-30 mins or 75 degrees on a temperature probe).
  6. Leave to cool.

To serve

  1. Drip a little cold water on top and tip off to remove.
  2. Add 1 tablespoon soft brown sugar and spread evenly.
  3. Wait 1 minute to soak up the moisture and gently glaze with a blow torch or under a hot grill. Careful !!!
  4. Serve with a seasonal compote or simple soft fruit of your choice.

Tips – straight from the top chefs at the Cheshire Cookery School

A temperature probe is the surest way to get perfect results every time and is a super tool for beginners because it gives you confidence with whatever your cooking.

Keep the blowtorch moving: you want to melt the sugar in the water moisture before you burn it so it’s not gritty. 

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Crème Brûlée