Preheat your oven to 150°C.
Place the cream, demerara sugar, salt and vanilla paste in a saucepan over medium heat, stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to scalding point. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting to keep warm, but do not allow to boil. Place the water and caster sugar in a heavy saucepan, over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Allow to bubble away and caramelize until quite dark in colour but not burnt as you do not want a bitter taste!
Remove the caramel from the heat and carefully add the cream, stirring to combine. Take care as it will bubble and spit. Very lightly whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl then slowly add the hot caramel cream mixture and stir to combine. Do not whisk as you do not want to create bubbles. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug. Allow to settle for a few minutes and then skim off any foam. Divide the mixture amongst 4 ramekins and place them in a roasting dish. Fill the dish with water to cover ²/3 of the ramekins.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the custards are just set but still a little wobbly in the centre. Remove from the oven and the roasting dish and allow to cool and set.
Serve with a teaspoon of double cream, a sprinkling of Maldon salt and a tuile on the side. Alternatively you can brûlée the top for added decadence and texture. Simply sprinkle with caster sugar and blow torch to caramalize.
Serves: 4-6
Method for tuiles:
Preheat your oven to 165°C and line a baking tray with a silcone mat or well greased foil. Whisk the egg whites with the caster sugar until just combined. Stir in the cooled butter and vanilla extract. Add the flour and stir until just combined. Drop teaspoons of the mixture onto the tray.
Using the back of the spoon smooth the mixture into thin, small circles, 9-10 cm in diameter. Bake the tuiles for 5-8 minutes or until the edges have browned slightly. Working quickly and carefully, remove the tuiles from the tray using a palette knife and curl around a rolling pin to give them a curved shape.
Makes about 15.
