Seasonal Recipes

Honey & Rhubarb Brulee

600ml/1 pint double cream
1 Vanilla pod or a few drops of vanilla essence
8 egg yolks
4 tablespoons of clear honey
115g/4oz caster sugar for topping
350g/12oz fresh rhubarb
55g/2oz caster or Demerara sugar
Knob of butter  

Trim rhubarb and cut into 1cm chunks. Melt butter in pan and when bubbling add 1-2 tablespoons of water, rhubarb and sugar. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring until rhubarb starts to break up. Cool.

Put cream and vanilla pod in a pan and bring to just below boiling point. Take off heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Split vanilla pod and scrape seeds into cream.

Whisk egg yolks and honey in a bowl. Pour in cream, then sit bowl over a pan of simmering water and cook, stirring until custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Drain excess liquid from rhubarb, then put a heaped dessertspoon in each ramekin. Pour custard over. Sit ramekins in a roasting tin and fill with warm water to 3/4 of the way up the sides.
Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes - shake the custard gently to test if cooked, there should be slight movement in the centre of the custard. Leave to cool. 

Put another dessertspoon of rhubarb on top of each custard. Sprinkle liberally with sugar and then finish by caramelising with a blowtorch of under the grill. You may need to sprinkle and grill 2 or 3 times for a good finish.