Now, I love Creme Brûlée, and normally won’t make it at home as I reserve it for a restaurant treat…lockdown had different ideas about that, and so I broke my own credo, not to ruin my restaurant favourites by recreating at home.

I can’t say I’m sorry about it either. I opted to make one big brûlée to be shared readily with a selection of fruit and biscuits, spoons straight in, happy mouths in an instant!

The recipe does call for a blow torch, don’t worry I didn’t have one either – my husband however is a builder so had one lurking in the shed that I have cleaned and commandeered! You can easily just whack it under the grill and the caramelising stage.

Serves 6

Cooking Time: 1 hour 30mins, plus cooling.

Ingredients

• 4 Large, Free range Eggs
• 2 tbsps Caster Sugar
• 1 Vanilla Pod (split in half and seeds removed) or 2t tsp Vanilla Extract
• 250ml Milk
• 250ml Double Cream
• 3 (generous) Tbsps Demerara Sugar

Method

• Preheat your oven to oven to 140ºC
• Butter a large, round casserole dish, the one I have used is 25cm in diameter and 4cm deep. Place this inside a roasting tin ready for later.
• Heat milk, cream and vanilla pod or extracr over a low heat, up to the boil – but do not let it boil.
• meanwhile, In a bowl, whisk together eggs and caster sugar until foamy.
• Remove the milk and cream mixture from the heat. If using a vanilla pod, discard the pod at this stage.
• While continuously whisking, slowly pour the warm milk and cream over the eggs.
• Sieve the mixture into the buttered dish.
• Make a Bain marie by pouring boiled water into the roasting tin around your brûlée dish. You will need to pour the water about half way up the side of your brûlée.
• Bake for 1 hour 15mins.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
• Before serving sprinkle over Demerara sugar and caramelise with a blow torch or under a grill.
• Eat greedily. It is a treat after all.