Chocolate Crème Brûlées.

Chocolate Crème Brûlées.

Serves 8.

Equipment:

8x150ml capacity ramekins.

Deep oven trays.

Delicious and not at all difficult.

Oven 180c fan forced.

Put the kettle on to boil.

In a heatproof bowl, whisk

-4 egg yolks,

-175g caster sugar.

-pinch of salt,

-vanilla bean paste.

Leave aside

In a large saucepan, put in,

-300ml double cream,

-400ml milk,

-250g dark chocolate, broken into chunks,

Cook, stirring on low heat until the mixture has melted and is smooth. Add this to

-egg/sugar mixture, 1/2 cup at a time. 

You need to be whisking all the time. Continue to add hot milk this way until at least 2 cups of milk have been used. This is to stop the egg mixture curdling. Then the liquid, all at once.

Transfer into a jug.

Place the ramekins in the oven trays.

Pour the mixture into the prepared ramekins.

Pour hot water into the oven trays, halfway up the ramekins.

Bake 25 minutes.

Leave to cool completely in the trays.

Refrigerate at least 4 hrs to overnight.

When ready, put

-2tsp caster sugar on top of each brûlée, use a blow torch to caramelise the sugar. 

Alternatively, place the brûlées under a hot grill.

Serve immediately.