Raspberry brûlée

• vanilla bean↗1
• lemon↗½

  only zest, cleaned

• heavy cream300ml ml
• raspberries↗100g g
• egg yolks↗4
• golden sugar↗2 tbsp tbsp
• demerara sugar↗2 tbsp tbsp

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into a saucepan with lemon zest and cream. Add the bean pod as well. Heat until the cream is almost boiling – small bubbles appear at the edges. Remove from heat and let steep for 15 minutes.

2. 2

   Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas 3. Place four porcelain ramekins in a baking dish and fill with boiling water so that about 2 cm of the ramekins remain above the water.

3. 3

   Divide the raspberries among the ramekins, leaving a few berries aside. Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg yolks and golden sugar until very pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Remove the zest and vanilla bean from the cooled cream, then slowly fold them into the egg mixture. Pour into a jug and strain through a sieve into the ramekins, then top with the remaining raspberries. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the custard forms a skin and gently jiggles when the ramekin is lightly tapped. Let cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

4. 4

   If you don’t have a gas torch, preheat the grill to high temperature. Sprinkle each ramekin with demerara sugar and either use a torch to caramelize the top, or place them under the grill until the sugar melts and browns. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.