These lovely deserts are great cooked in a medium oven. The ESSE oven stays nice and moist when you cook these little custards in a bain-marie.
Serves
Six people
Ingredients
- 1 kilo of Bramley apples
- 400ml double cream
- 100ml milk
- 1 fresh vanilla pod
- 100 g caster sugar plus extra for the topping.
- 6 egg yolks
Method
Peel, core and slice about a a kilo of Bramley apples, then cook them over a gentle heat with a shake of caster sugar and just a dribble of water to prevent them burning. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the apple pieces have completely dissolved. Go on cooking gently and stirring until you have a thick, slightly translucent purée. Add more caster sugar to taste – enough to achieve a purée that is still tart but not unpleasantly so. Leave to cool.
Divide the purée between 6–8 ramekins or other small heatproof dishes, you want about a centimeter or so of purée in each ramekin, chill thoroughly in the fridge.
Scold the cream, milk and split vanilla pod in a pan set over a medium heat. Allow to stand for 5 mins to infuse.
Carefully scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod into the cream mixture.
Combine the egg yolks and sugar together in a large mixing bowl, but don’t over mix.
Pour the hot cream over the eggs and whisk well.
Strain the vanilla custard through a sieve into a jug.
Pour the custard gently over the apple compote being careful not to break it up to much; I pour it over the back of a spoon set just above the ramekin. Bake the crème Brulee’s in a roasting tin half filled up with hot water (This is called a Bain Marie).
Cook gently for 25 to 35 mins or until just set. You want a hint of a wobble in the centre.
Remove the crème Brulee’s from the oven and chill until needed.
To serve scatter a teaspoon of caster sugar over the top of each ramekin. Flash them under a hot grill or caramelise the sugar with a blow torch until golden and bubbling.
This will set to give a crisp caramel coating.
