This delicious creamy dessert with the subtle tang of passion fruit is one of my new favourites. It’s a doddle to make and there’s nothing like the sharp crack of the crisp brulée topping when you break into it with your spoon. You need to make this the night before or, at the very least, a couple of hours beforehand to allow the custard to set and chill. Only add the brulée topping just before serving or it will go from being crisp to just sticky. I like these by themselves but almond thin type biscuits are a nice accompaniment.

This quantity is enough to fill six 150ml ramekins i.e. a total of 900ml of liquid. Proper brulée dishes are shallow and wide but unless you already have a set, ramekins work just fine.

• 100ml passion fruit juice squeezed from 6 ripe fresh passion fruits
• 1/2 tsp vanilla paste
• 6 egg yolks
• 600ml double cream
• 130g golden caster sugar for the custard, an extra tablespoon to make the brulée topping

To make…

• Preheat the oven to 120°C.
• Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl until foamy.
• Bring the cream and vanilla up to the boil in a non-stick pan. Pour it over the egg mixture and whisk rapidly.
• Set a metal sieve over a bowl. Cut each passion fruit in half and scoop out the seeds and juice. Using the back of a soup spoon rub the flesh and seeds through the sieve – this should give you about 100ml of juice. Discard the seeds. Whisk the juice into the cream once it cools slightly.
• Place the ramekins in a large roasting tray. Pour the cream equally into each dish and fill the tray with boiling water until it reaches about halfway up the side of each ramekin. Be careful not to get any water in the ramekins. Place the tray in the oven and allow to bake gently for about an hour. They should wobble slightly not set solid.
• Remove the tray from the oven and lift each ramekin out carefully. Pour away the hot water. Allow the tray to cool, put the ramekins back in and chill them in the fridge overnight or for at least two hours before serving.
• Shortly before serving, dust the top of each ramekin with caster sugar. Swirl it round to ensure it gets into the edges, tap out the excess onto the next ramekin and so on until all six are coated in sugar.
• Using a blowtorch held about 10 to 12cm away from the surface, caramelise the sugar evenly. Leave them a couple of minutes to allow the sugar to harden and serve immediately. If you don’t have a blowtorch put them under a very hot *grill for a few moments.

*For those of you who subscribe to the #TheFridayRecipe email I mistakenly typed the word girl instead of grill here originally. Apparently it cheered up many a reader’s dull morning! You’re welcome : ).

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