Rooibos crème brûlée

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 140°C fan-forced (160°C for standard ovens).
2. Halve the vanilla bean lengthways then use the sharp side of your knife to scrape out the seeds on the cut edge. Place in the saucepan with the pod then add the cream and teabags. Place over medium heat and bring to just below a simmer then remove from heat and set aside to infuse for 5 minutes. Discard the bean and teabags.
3. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl until well combined.
4. Whisk the cream mixture into the egg mixture then strain into a jug. Divide among four 185 ml oven-proof ramekins.
5. Place ramekins in a roasting pan. Add boiling water to reach halfway up the sides – this will make sure they cook gently and evenly. Carefully place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until just set.
6. Cool then place in fridge for at least 4 hours (or overnight), until set. Sprinkle about 1-2 tsp sugar on top of each of the custards. Caramelise with a kitchen blowtorch. I like to finish with a small fluttering of salt flakes to balance that caramel on top.

• I always try to write a recipe to match how you buy of an item, and this relates to buying a carton of 500 ml cream. If you’re in a place which has 600 ml cartons of cream, don’t worry, I’ve tested that too and the recipe works with the extra 100 ml so it’s not wasted.
• Rooibos thrives in the west of the country in a place called the Cederberg, and was consumed by the indigenous Khoisan people before becoming part of modern South African culture. It has a great nutty and naturally sweet characteristic to it and so I love cooking with it too. If you drink
  rooibos tea
  you are strictly either a milk adder or not – I for one like a dash of milk in my rooibos, and from that sparked the idea to give a classic crème brûlée a little bit of South African fragrance!