The flavour of the Earl Grey tea is preserved in a cold infusion overnight. This will prevent the crème brûlée from tasting too tannic and allow the black tea and bergamot to express their true flavours.
Ingredients
- 300 ml semi-skimmed or full fat milk
- 650 ml fresh double cream
- 35 g loose Earl Grey tea leaves
- 8 egg yolks
- 110 caster sugar
- 40 g caster sugar to caramelize
How to Make It
- The night before, put the milk and cream in a bowl and stir in the loose Earl Grey tea leaves. Cover the bowl with cling film and place it in the fridge for 12 hours to make a cold infusion.
- The following morning, pass the Earl Grey infusion though a double muslin or a fine cloth.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the caster sugar for 1 minute. Bring the sieved milk, cream and tea infusion to the boil and poor it slowly on the top of the yolks and caster sugar, stirring continuously.
- Pass the crème brûlée mix through a very fine sieve and skim the surface using a ladle or a tablespoon.
- Place 8 ramekins in a high-sided baking tray and fill them with the mix. Pour 3 cm of boiling water into the bottom of the tray and bake the crèmes brûlées in a static (fan turned off) oven. Alternatively, cling film the baking tray with a heat-resistant cling film all the way around to make it airtight and bake them in a fan oven.
- After 45 minutes, shake the tray gently, and keep checking every 5 minutes until the cream is set like a jelly, gently moving in the middle. (Remove the cling film). Cool in the tray for 15 minutes at room temperature then put the crèmes brûlées in the fridge for 4 hours.
- Dry the top of the crèmes brûlées with kitchen paper if needed, cover them with a thin layer of caster sugar and caramelize them using a blowtorch.