This is crème brûlée with a twist. We have switched the sugar out for isomalt – a sugar alcohol with minimum impact on blood sugar levels – making it more diabetic-friendly. Of course, portion size and moderation are key.
Ingredients
- 375g cream
- 100g egg yolk
- 80g isomalt sugar
- 1 vanilla pod
Method for this crème brûlée
1. Preheat the oven to 160 °C. Sit flour 175ml ramekins in a deep roasting tin (at least 7,5 cm deep).
2. Pour the cream into a medium pan with the milk. Lay the vanilla pod on a board and slice length ways through the middle with a sharp knife, to split it in two. Use the tip of the knife to scrape out all the tiny seeds into the cream mixture. Drop the vanilla pod in as well and set aside.
3. Put the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl, and whisk for 1 minute with an electric hand whisk, until paler and a bit fluffy.
4. Put the pan with the cream on a medium heat and bring almost to the boil. As soon as you see bubbles appear round the edge, take the pan off the heat.
5. Pour the hot cream into the beaten egg yolks, stirring with a wire whisk as you do so, and scrape out the seeds from the pan. Use a fine sieve to strain it. Scoop off all the pale foam that is sitting on top of the liquid (this will be several spoonfuls) and discard. Give the mixture a stir.
6. Pour enough hot water (from the tap is fine) into the roasting tin to come about 1.5 cm up the sides of the ramekins.
7. Pour the hot cream into the ramekins and fill them up right to the top. Put them in the oven and lay a baking sheet over the top of the tin so it sits well above the ramekins. This completely covers them, but not the whole tin, leaving a small gap on one side to allow air to circulate.
8. Bake for 30–35 minutes until the mixture is softly set. To check it, gently sway the roasting tin, and if the crème brûlée is ready, they will wobble a bit, like a jelly, in the middle. Don’t let them get too firm.
9. Lift the ramekins out of the roasting tin and set on a wire rack to cool, for a couple of minutes only; then put them in the fridge to cool completely. When ready to serve, sprinkle 10 teaspoons of isomalt sugar over each ramekin and spread it out with the back of a spoon to completely cover.
10. Spray with a little water using a fine spray; then use a blow torch to caramelize it. Hold the flame just above the sugar and keep moving it round and round until caramelized.
11. Serve when the brûlée is firm.
Health benefits:
Pieterse advises: “Desserts like this crème brûlée should not be eaten on a regular basis, as they are often high in kilojoules, sugar, and fat.”
Managing your portion size can prevent desserts from being too indulgent. Share dessert with your partner or friend, dish up only a few mouthfuls, or serve in small dishes to prevent overeating. Click here to find out more about one of the main ingredients in this recipe – dairy – and discover whether you should be consuming it.
Matthew Foxon is the executive chef at Tsogo Sun’s 54 on Bath, Rosebank. South African-born, Foxon completed a two-year advanced diploma in professional cookery at the International Hotel School in Johannesburg. Since then, he has worked in luxury hotels across South Africa, been awarded the Young Chef of the Year for two consecutive years (2003 and 2004). He runs both the award-winning Greyhound at Bettersea and The Rosendale, as well as the critically acclaimed Criterion Restaurant in London, and starred in the BBC hit series MasterChef.
