Valrhona Dulcey Crème Caramel

The luscious, creamy texture of crème caramel combined with the salty, toasty and buttery notes of Valrhona dulcey make for a heavenly dessert.

Makes 6

1 cup white sugar
1 cup cold water
¾ cup cream
1 cup milk
1 tsp Heilala vanilla extract
125 g Valrhona dulcey chocolate fèves
1 egg
2 egg yolks
3 Tbsp caster sugar
Valrhona crispy chocolate pearls, to decorate

Preheat oven to 150°C. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Stir over a medium heat until sugar dissolves then bring to the boil. Boil without stirring for 10-12 minutes or until caramel turns golden-brown. Working quickly, pour caramel into six 150ml capacity ramekins, then swirl ramekins to coat bases and halfway up sides with caramel. Set aside.

Combine cream, milk and vanilla in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture just reaches boiling point, but do not allow to boil. Remove from heat. Add dulcey fèves to melt and whisk gently until smooth.

Whisk egg, yolks and caster sugar in a bowl to combine. Slowly add cream mixture while whisking continuously. Strain mixture into a jug then pour into ramekins, dividing evenly between dishes.

Place ramekins in a large oven pan. Pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until just set but still a little wobbly in the centre. Remove baking dish from oven. Remove dishes from water bath and set aside to cool. Refrigerate overnight.

To unmould, run the blade of a thin knife around the inside edge of each ramekin. Invert ramekins to turn out puddings onto serving plates. Serve scattered with Valrhona chocolate pearls to decorate.

Recipe by Julie Le Clerc