“There is something wonderful about the simplicity of a brûlée. You can add fruit to the bottom of the ramequin, or an alcohol like eau de vie de framboise and a few raspberries, or diced apple and vanilla and calvados. Or just keep it simple. I like a piece of shortbread with mine.”

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

400ml double cream

1 vanilla pod, split length ways and seeds scraped

5 large egg yolks

50g unrefined caster sugar, plus extra for glazing

METHOD

Firstly, heat the cream with the vanilla until it just boils, then leave for a few minutes to infuse on a low heat. Meanwhile, combine the sugar with the egg yolk and whisk vigorously until it’s pale and creamy.

Next, pour the hot cream onto the egg yolk mix and whisk quickly to combine. Pour this mixture into a clean pan and heat to 86°C, stirring all the time.

Blitz with a hand-held blender to bring the fats together and to ensure it doesn’t split. Then pour into ramekins and chill for 3 to 4 hours, or overnight.

Once chilled, sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar onto each brûlée and glaze with a moderate blowtorch (or under the grill) until the tops are golden brown but not too dark or bitter.

Serve at once with some shortbread. Enjoy!

Get my shortbread recipe here.