Hot chocolate crème brulee (serves 6)

400ml cream

4 tbsp caster sugar

100g good quality dark chocolate

1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped

5 egg yolks

1 whole egg

6 tbsp caster sugar (for the caramel top)

Preheat oven to 140*C (NOT fan-forced). Place cream, sugar, chocolate and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until hot (do not allow to boil). Remove saucepan from heat. Whisk egg yolks, and whole egg in a heatproof bowl until well combined. Remove vanilla beans from milk mixture. Pour hot milk mixture over egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly. Rest the custard mix for 20 minutes to rest. After 20 minutes, skim all bubbles off the surface then pour into 6 small ovenproof bowls.

Place bowls in a deep roasting dish, then pour boiling water into the bottom of the dish until it reaches halfway up the bowls. Very carefully place the roasting dish in the oven and cook for 35 minutes.

Remove the crème brulee form the oven and allow to cool before placing into your fridge to chill.

Once cold, evenly pour 1 tbsp of sugar over each brulee and using a blowtorch, burn the top of the custard until you have reached a dark burnt colour before serving.

Don’t have a blowtorch?

Turn your oven up to maximum heat on grill function. Wait till it’s cranking before sliding in your freshly sugared crème brulee, under the closest point to the grill.

Toast until the sugar becomes golden brown.