Christmas spiced crème brûlée

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450ml double cream

100g mascarpone

1 vanilla pod, seeds removed (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)

1 tsp fresh nutmeg, grated

1 tsp ground cinnamon

6 egg yolks

60g soft light brown sugar, plus extra for the topping

8 tbsp caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/Gas 2. Put eight ramekins into a roasting dish and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Put the cream, mascarpone and vanilla in a pot and heat until simmering. Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the spices until combined.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a separate bowl until pale and fluffy. Gradually add the cream mixture, whisking constantly.
Divide the cream mixture equally between the ramekins, then place them (still in the roasting tin) in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the brûlées begin to set. They are easy to overcook, so check them after 20 minutes and then return them to the oven for five minutes at a time. When cooked, the brûlées should still wobble like jelly in the very centre, but should not be too liquid, nor completely set.
Remove the brûlées from the oven and from the roasting tin, and leave to cool, then place in the fridge to set for one hour.
Sprinkle one tablespoon of brown sugar evenly on the top of each brûlée, making sure the tops are completely covered. Use a cook’s blowtorch to caramelise the sugar, or pop the ramekins on a baking tray and sit them under the grill. Check after one minute, then continue to return to the grill for one minute at a time until all sugar has melted, and it is golden brown in colour. Keep a close eye on them as the sugar can burn quickly.
Serve and enjoy.

By easyFood