This is one of the most popular French desserts and is wonderful when freshly made. This is a lighter version of the traditional recipe. Ingredients
Serves 6-8
250 g granulated sugar
4 tbsp water
1 vanilla pod or 2 tsp vanilla essence
425 ml milk
250 ml whipping cream
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1. Put 175 g of the sugar in a heavy saucepan with the water to moisten. Bring to the boil, swirling the pan to dissolve the sugar. Boil, without stirring, until the syrup turns a dark caramel colour. Pour the caramel immediately into a 1 litre soufflé dish.
2. Swirl the dish to coat with the caramel and set aside. Place the dish in a small roasting tin.
3. Preheat the oven to 170°C. With a small sharp knife, carefully split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape the black seeds into a medium saucepan. Add the milk and cream and bring just to the boil over a medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and set aside for about 15-20 minutes.
4. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolks with the remaining sugar for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Whisk in the hot milk and strain the mixture into the caramel-lined dish. Cover with foil.
5. Place the dish in a roasting tin and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the dish. Bake the custard for 40-45 minutes until a knife inserted about 5 cm from the edge comes out clean (the custard should be just set). Remove from the roasting tin and cool for 1/2 hour, then chill overnight.
6. To turn out, carefully run a sharp knife around the edge of the dish to loosen the custard. Cover the dish with a serving plate and, holding them tightly, invert the dish and plate together. Gently lift one edge of the dish, allowing the caramel to run over the sides, then slowly lift off the dish.
Enjoy!
