Classic Crème Caramel

Crème caramel is an absolute classic in the world of desserts. The French are world-renowned for their cooking and this dish is a triumph. They're perfect for dinner parties as they can be prepared up to a day in advance and they're super impressive yet easy achieve. The taste is one of sophistication and indulgence with the smooth, creamy texture and the bitter sweet flavours of the caramel.

I like to serve mine very simply with fresh berries, which are incredibly delicious this time of year, but you could also pour over some cream if you want them to be extra luxurious.

Crème Caramel
Serves 6

Equipment:

6 x size 1 (150ml/¼ pint) ramekins

For the caramel:

160g/6oz sugar

unsalted butter, for greasing the ramekins

For the custard:

4 free-range eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

25g/1oz caster sugar

600ml/1 pint full-fat milk

Pre-heat oven 150C/300F/Gas 2. Warm the ramekins in the oven, so they are warm when the caramel is poured in.

First make the caramel. Pour the sugar and six tablespoons of water into a clean stainless steel pan. Dissolve the sugar slowly, swirl the pan but NEVER stir it. When there are no sugar granules left, stop swirling and boil until the sugar turns a dark copper colour. Remove immediately from the heat to ensure the caramel does not burn. Quickly pour the caramel into the warmed ramekins.

Set aside to cool and become hard. (Do not put in the fridge because the sugar will absorb moisture and go soft and tacky). Once hard, butter the sides of the ramekins above the level of the caramel.

For the custard, whisk the eggs, vanilla extract and caster sugar together in a bowl until well mixed. Pour the milk into a saucepan, gently heat over a low heat until you can still just dip your finger in for a moment, then strain the milk through a fine sieve onto the egg mixture in the bowl. Whisk together until smooth, then pour the mixture into the prepared ramekins.

Stand the ramekins in a roasting tin and fill the tin half-way with boiling water from a kettle. Cook in the oven for about 20-30 minutes or until the custard has set. Do not overcook the custard – check around the edges of the dishes, to make sure no bubbles are appearing. Take the crème caramels out of the oven, remove the ramekins from the tray and set on a cooling rack.

When cool, loosen the sides of the custard by tipping the ramekin and loosen with a small palette knife round the edges. Place a serving dish on top of the ramekin and turn upside down. Serve with fresh berries.

TIP: If you wish to make this ahead of time, the cooked crème caramels can be kept in the ramekins in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Simply take them out of the fridge when you need them and complete the final step of the recipe.