Name: Vanilla crème brûlée
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 250ml double cream; 75ml full-fat milk; 1 vanilla pod scraped; 4 egg yolks; 3 tbsp caster sugar plus 3-4 tbsp for the topping; 1 tsp vanilla extract; sheet of puff pastry; ½ egg beaten; finely chopped almonds; icing sugar

250ml double cream
75ml full-fat milk
1 vanilla pod
scraped
4 egg yolks
3 tbsp caster sugar
plus 3-4 tbsp for the topping
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the puff pastry sticks

sheet of puff pastry
½ egg
beaten
finely chopped almonds
icing sugar

Method

step 1
Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Put the cream, milk and vanilla pod into a pan and heat to boiling point. Cover and leave to infuse for 10 mins. Whisk the egg yolks and 3 tbsp of sugar together until pale and thick. Add the vanilla extract and pour the boiling cream onto the mixture. Stir well, then pour into two ramekins. Place the ramekins in a bain marie and cook in the oven for about 40 mins or until just set. Leave to cool.
step 2
Heat the grill. Sprinkle the cold brûlée with a thin, even layer of sugar, and caramelise under the very hot grill (or use a blowtorch). Repeat several times until you have a golden crackling topping. Leave to cool and serve within 2 hrs with warm almond puff pastry sticks (see below).