Preparation

Combine the cream, vanilla bean and seeds, and cinnamon in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat, cover and allow to infuse for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale. Slowly whisk in the cream mixture until combined. Pour the mixture into a clean saucepan and place over a low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 6–7 minutes until the custard coats the back of a spoon. Strain through a fine sieve into four 125 ml (½ cup) ramekins. Tightly wrap each ramekin in foil and place in a deep baking dish. Pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins and transfer to the oven. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the foil and refrigerate until cool, about 2–3 hours.
Sprinkle the top of each ramekin with 1 teaspoon extra sugar and caramelise using a kitchen blowtorch. Serve immediately.

Ingredients

  • 600 ml thickened cream
  • 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 120 g egg yolks (from 7–8 eggs)
  • 100 g caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp extra