Ingredients:
- 6 egg yolks
- 75g castor sugar
- 500ml fresh cream
- 1 vanilla pod
- 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
To serve:
- Castor sugar
- Fresh berries
Here’s how:
- Preheat oven to 140 degrees.
- Slit vanilla pod lengthwise. Run a knife along the inside of the pod and scrape off the seeds.
- Pour cream into a saucepan. Add vanilla seeds and lemongrass. Bring cream to the boil. Cover the cream with cling film and leave aside to infuse.
- Reheat the cream and once again bring to the boil.
- In a mixing bowl, mix egg yolk and sugar into a thick paste. Gradually pour boiling cream into the egg mixture and whisk gently.
- Place a sieve over a large measuring jug and pass the mixture through to remove any egg bits and lemongrass.
- Place ramekins in a deep roasting pan. Pour the mixture into the ramekins. Gently pour boiling water into the roasting pan until the water reaches two thirds up the sides of the ramekins.
- Bake for 40 – 45 minutes. The custards should be slightly wobbly in the centre. Leave the custards aside to cool and wrap each one in cling film. Refrigerate overnight.
- Sprinkle a teaspoon of castor sugar over custard and caramelise with a blowtorch.
- Garnish with fresh berries.
Hot tips:
- Use muscavado sugar if you prefer when caramelising the sugar.
- Cardamom pods can be used instead of vanilla seeds. Use 2 – 3 cardamom pods instead.
- Mix sugar and egg yolks together only when the cream is boiling. The sugar hardens the egg yolks.
- Always add the hot mixture to the cold mixture to prevent curdling.
- Place roasting pan in the oven before pouring in the boiling water. This prevents water from spilling into the custards.
- Caramelise the custards only when you are ready to serve dessert. This ensures that the crunchy Brule does not soften.