Name: Baked egg custard
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 450ml double cream; 5 egg yolks (freeze the whites for use in another recipe); 75g caster sugar; 1 tsp vanilla bean paste; generous grating of nutmeg

Three glass ramekins of custard with silver spoons on a blue napkin

450ml double cream
5 egg yolks
(freeze the whites for use in another recipe)
75g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
generous grating of nutmeg

Method

step 1
Heat the oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2 and put four large or six small ramekins in a deep baking tray. Boil the kettle.
step 2
Pour the double cream into a small pan and heat until steaming. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Meanwhile, tip the egg yolks, caster sugar, vanilla bean paste and a pinch of fine sea salt into a bowl, and whisk together briefly. Pour a little of the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture and whisk really well, then pour in the remaining cream in a very slow, steady stream, whisking all the time.
step 3
Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a large jug. Divide evenly between the ramekins, then grate over the nutmeg. Pour in enough just-boiled water from the kettle into the tray to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins, cover loosely with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes, depending on the size of the ramekins, until just set with a slight wobble in the centre. Remove from the water and cool.