Crème brûlée

Bring the cream, a little milk, the vanilla and part of the sugar to a boil; take off the heat, cover and infuse 20 minutes.

Whisk the egg yolks with the rest of the sugar without letting it turn pale and foamy, or the foam ends up on the surface of the custards.

Bring the infused milk back to a quick boil, pour it gently over the yolks and sugar, mix well and pass through a strainer, pressing the vanilla pod to extract its flavour.

Fill the ramekins and set them on a flat rimmed tray lined with paper towel, so the hot water does not splash onto the custards.

Pass a light flame from a blowtorch over the surface to remove air bubbles, then bake in a preheated oven at 160C for about 30 minutes, until the centre is set.

Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight; to keep several days, three at most, cover each one with film so it does not form a skin or pick up fridge flavours.

Caramelise the top in two stages with fine white sugar or vergeoise sugar.