We can all agree that when it comes to desserts, French cuisine is a treasure trove of delightful treats.
If you’re looking for a simple, delicious recipe for your next kitchen experiment while social distancing, Sonal Holland, has you covered.
The recipe is easy, without using any fancy equipment and can be a fun, hassle-free dish to cook at home, by yourself and even with your kids.
This weekend, treat yourself to something indulgent and give this classic crème brulee a try!
The recipe is as follows -
Serves 2
Ingredients: For the crème custard; 2 nos egg yolks; 2tbsp granulated sugar; vanilla essence to taste; 150ml heavy cream
For the crust - 4tbsp sugar; ½ tsp honey; water to mix
Method:
In a mixing bowl, add the egg yolks, sugar, a few drops of vanilla essence and heavy cream. You can increase or decrease the quantity of vanilla essence depending on your preference. Mix ingredients thoroughly with a whisk or an electric hand blender. Take care to ensure there are no residual clumps of egg yolk. Beat the liquid till the sugar granules have dissolved into the custard mixture. Pour the mixture into a ceramic baking bowl. You can also use a ramekin to set the custard. Transfer the bowl into an oven, set at 120C, preheated for about 5 minutes and let the crème brulee bake for 40 minutes. The cooked crème brulee must have a wobbly consistency – it may appear runny, but in fact will set just right.
Allow the hot custard to cool down, cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate for 10-30 minutes to help it set well. For the caramelised crust, add 4 tbsp of sugar in a pan over medium heat.
Add a few drops of honey to prevent the sugar from sticking to the pan. Add a small quantity of water and mix well, taking care to stir the bubbling liquid continuously to avoid burning.
The liquid may dry a little and will turn golden brown as the sugar caramelises – this is the ideal colour and consistency of caramel for the recipe.
Take the pan off the heat and pour the hot caramelised liquid over the crème brulee, taking care to spread it evenly across the custard. Transfer the crème brulee to the refrigerator and let it rest for 30 minutes to allow the caramel crust to harden before serving.