Corinne’s favourite dessert is crème brûlée and so I have attempted to make it for her many, many times. Sometimes with great success, but other times requiring a bit more finesse. So I have been on a quest to find the perfect crème brûlée recipe; the one that works every time, without too much fiddling around.

The crème brûlée harks back to olden times, well, at least to the 1700’s when it was first recorded in Francois Massialot’s 1691 recipe. It comes under multiple names – crème catalina, burnt cream, Trinity cream – and is essentially a custard dessert with a crisp sugar shell on top. The custard is traditionally flavoured with vanilla, but can also be flavoured with other ingredients, including lemon zest, liquors, coffee, orange blossom water, ginger, and the list goes on.

One of my favourites is flavoured with the little juicy bubble like compartments found within a finger lime. The beautiful creamy texture of the brûlée, the crunchy sugar top and little explosions of lime in every mouthful make it a simply gorgeous dessert.

There are essentially two ways to make a crème brûlée. One method is to bake the custard in an oven using a water bath (see Larousse Gastronomique); the other method involves cooking the custard on the stove top, as in the 1691 recipe.

The original recipe also called for burning the sugar on top using a fire shovel; however, the fire shovel isn’t a common utensil in the modern kitchen so we suggest you use a blow torch or the grill.

After a few attempts at the oven method, I am now convinced that the stove top is the way to go. In the oven it’s difficult to get the timing correct and, depending on how reliable your oven is temperature-wise, it may require multiple “experiments” in order to get the length of time right.

The custard is best when it is thick and creamy, just set; not too runny and certainly not the consistency of scrambled eggs, which will happen if left in the oven for too long.

It is also worth noting that using the grill to caramelise the sugar topping is a rather risky venture and can be detrimental to the delicate custard underneath if placed under it for too long. I recommend using a blow torch to get the caramelised sugar on top just right.

The following recipe is a stove top version:

Makes 4-6
500ml double cream
5 egg yolks (free range)
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
1 tbsp caster sugar, plus more for the top

Place the cream into a saucepan and add the seeds from the vanilla pod. Heat gently until it is just starting to simmer around the edges. Remove the cream from the heat and allow it to rest for around 10 minutes. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks and sugar until thickened slightly. Add the cream to the egg yolk mixture in a continuous stream, stirring constantly. Next, using a double boiler, place the custard mix over hot but not boiling water and stir until thickened. It should thickly coat the back of the spoon.

Pour the custard into ramekins and, after they have cooled a bit, place the desserts in the fridge until cold and set.

Next sprinkle an even layer of caster sugar over each dessert. I recommend a layer of around 3mm thick, but there is some leeway here depending on how sweet your tooth is. Using a blowtorch, evenly crisp the sugar topping. It is best to take your time here and not rush the process. After the sugar is a nice golden colour, plate up and serve to your eagerly waiting guests!