When it comes to French desserts, the crème brûlée stands out for its subtle but sophisticated flavours. A little sweet and a little bitter with a delicious, caramelised top and roasted strawberries, this crème brûlée recipe can easily be made at home as an elegant dinner party dessert. Just take out of the fridge before serving, using a blowtorch to quickly caramelise the sugar.
Ingredients
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced). Place the cream and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring just to the boil.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and honey until pale. Pour the cream mixture into the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Pour into four ¾-cup (180ml) ramekins. Place in a deep-sided baking tray.
Carefully pour boiling water into the tray until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just set with a gentle wobble. Remove from tray and refrigerate until cold.
Meanwhile, increase oven to 200°C (180°C fan forced). Combine strawberries, sugar, honey and fennel seeds in a roasting pan. Bake for 8 minutes or until strawberries are syrupy and starting to soften.
Sprinkle the extra sugar evenly and very thinly over the top of each ramekin. Using a blowtorch, caramelise the sugar until the top of each brûlée is evenly coloured. Top with strawberries to serve.
Don’t have a blowtorch? Place each crème brûlée under a hot oven grill for a few minutes to caramelise the sugar.
Tip