Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Makes: 6
INGREDIENTS
500ml Double Cream
100ml Milk
4 tsp Cape Coastal Raw Honey
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Ginger
1 vanilla pod
5 egg yolks
50g caster sugar plus extra for topping
Garnished with Blueberries and Edible Flowers.
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Place four 175 ml ramekins in a deep roasting tin, at least 7.5cm deep, or use a large deep cake tin that can accommodate a baking tray across the top.
2. In a medium pan, combine the large and small cartons of double cream with the milk.
3. Split the vanilla pod in half lengthwise by cutting it on a board. Scrape out all the tiny seeds into the cream mixture using the tip of a knife. Add the scraped vanilla pod to the mixture and set aside.
4. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, ginger and honey with an electric hand whisk for 1 minute until paler in colour and slightly fluffy.
5. Heat the pan with the cream mixture over medium heat and bring it almost to a boil. Once you see bubbles forming around the edge, remove the pan from the heat.
6. Pour the hot cream into the beaten egg yolks, stirring with a wire whisk. Make sure to scrape out the vanilla seeds from the pan.
7. Place a fine sieve over a large wide jug or bowl and strain the hot mixture through it, ensuring that any remaining vanilla seeds pass through.
8. Using a big spoon, remove the pale foam on top of the liquid and discard it. Stir the mixture.
9. Fill the roasting tin with hot water from the tap, enough to come approximately 1.5cm up the sides of the ramekins. Fill the ramekins with the hot cream mixture, filling them to the top. Use a spoon for easier filling.
10. Place the ramekins in the oven and cover the roasting tin with a baking sheet, ensuring it sits above the ramekins but not over the entire tin, leaving a small gap for air circulation.
11. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the mixture is softly set. To check, gently sway the roasting tin, and if the crème brûlées wobble slightly in the middle like jelly, they are ready. Avoid overcooking.
12. Carefully lift the ramekins out of the roasting tin using oven gloves and set them on a wire rack to cool for a couple of minutes. Then transfer them to the fridge to cool completely. You can refrigerate them overnight without affecting the texture.
13. Before serving, wipe the top edge of each ramekin, sprinkle 1½ tsp of caster sugar over each ramekin, and spread it out to completely cover the surface using the back of a spoon.
14. Lightly spray the sugar with water using a fine spray bottle. Then, use a blow torch to caramelise the sugar. Hold the flame just above the sugar and move it in circular motions until the sugar caramelises. Serve when the brûlées are firm or within an hour or two.