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8 eqq yolks

- (1/3 cup) sugar; for the initial mixture

- (2 cups) heavy cream

- (1 teaspoon) of vanilla extract

- (½ cup) sugar; for the caramel at the end

Preheat oven to 150ºC (300ºf)

- Put the egg yolks and sugar into a large bowl. Mix (or whisk) until the sugar is completely dissolved. At this point, the mixture should be thick and pale yellow.

- Add the cream and vanilla extract to the bowl and mix them in thoroughly.

- Strain the mixture into a bowl. The strainer will remove any clumps in the mixture. Use a spoon to skim off any foam or bubbles.

- Divide the mixture among 6 ramekins (see note on ramekins below).

- Place the ramekins in a large pan and add water to the pan. The water should be about half the height of the ramekin. Make sure that you don’t spin any water into the ramekins. Some people put hot water (e.g. heat some up in a hot water kettle) into the pan instead of cold water. This shortens the cooking time and in some cases (depending on your ramekin) gives a more even finish.

- Put the pan in the preheated oven until the custard is set at the edges of the ramekins but still loose in the center . In other words, the custard should be firm at the edge of the ramekins, but like jello in the center. This will take about 50-60 minutes, with the exact time depending on the shape and size of the ramekins.

- Remove from the oven. Take the ramekins out of the pan and allow them to cool for at least 2 hours.

- When ready to serve, sprinkle the remaining sugar over the tops of each custard (the sugar should be divided evenly among the 6 ramekins).

- Melt the sugar until it starts to caramelize (the sugar turns brown, but not black). This is best done with a small hand-held torch. If you don’t have a torch, put them under the oven grill until the sugar caramelizes.

- Put the ramekins back into the fridge for a few minutes before serving, to allow them to cool.