Raspberry Crème Brûlée

The vanilla-scented custard in this recipe hides a bed of raspberry jam to create the perfect combination of sweet and tangy. You could use strawberry, quince, apricot or plum jam instead, if desired.

5 free-range egg yolks 100g sugar

500ml cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ cup raspberry jam TO SERVE

4 teaspoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 140°C.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy.

Meanwhile, place the cream and vanilla in a saucepan and bring almost to a boil.

Pour some of the warm cream mixture onto the egg mixture, whisking continuously until the egg mixture warms up slightly. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the cream mixture and cook over a medium heat until the mixture resembles a fine custard.

Place 1 tablespoon of raspberry jam into each base of 4 ramekins. Divide the custard between the ramekins – you can pour it gently over the back of a spoon to avoid disturbing the jam too much.

Place the ramekins in a baking tray and pour enough boiling water into the tray to come two-thirds of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 45 minutes or until just set. The custard should still be wobbly. Allow to cool and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

To serve: Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over the top of each custard and caramelise the sugar with a blow torch until golden. Alternatively, place the ramekins under a hot grill until golden. Serves 4