Crème Brûlée with Andapa Vanilla Beans

Chef Kobi Brown

Crème Brûlée loyalists already have their heart on the luscious custard hidden under a delicate crust of burnt sugar. To those whose palate has long been influenced by imitation vanilla, this is the perfect dessert to introduce the unmatchable flavour of the vanilla bean & show off our Andapa Vanilla Beans - cultivated & cured by the vanilla perfectionists - The Malagasies.

2 Egg yolks
1 Andapa Vanilla Bean - Add To Cart
250 g Heavy cream
20 g Sugar, plus extra teaspoons for the crust
Pinch of salt

*makes 2 in 175 ml ramekins

Separate the egg yolks in a bowl, add sugar and salt to the yolks. Slit the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the vanilla caviar or the pulp and add it to the bowl. Whisk together until well blended.
In a saucepan, add the cream and the scraped out vanilla bean and gently bring them to a boil over medium heat. Remove the vanilla bean and pour the vanilla bean infused hot cream into the beaten egg yolk & sugar mixture, a little at a time, stirring continually.
Set a fine sieve over a bowl and pour the hot mixture through the sieve.
Prepare a hot water bath. In a roasting pan, lay 2 ramekins and pour over the hot custard, divided equally between the 2 ramekins. Add hot water into the roasting pan, enough to come just halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake at 150°C for approximately 40-45 mins until the creme brûlée is set, but still trembling at the centre.
Remove the roasting pan from the oven and carefully remove the ramekins. Allow them to cool. Then chill in the refrigerator for at least 4-5 hours, and up to 24 hours for best results.
When it is time to serve, remove the creme brûlée from the refrigerator at least 15 minutes prior, sprinkle about 1 tsp of granulated sugar evenly over each creme brûlée. Using a blow torch, caramelise the sugar.

Under the gentle sheet of burnt sugar lies a soft custard & together, each bite tastes crunchy & smooth, toasty & so luxe.