Tamarind creme brulee

This is tamarind creme brulee, but play around with flavours - ginger, coffee, chocolate, vanilla all work well.

It is much easier to make than most people realise - and if you don't have a grill, or blow torch, then a little brown sugar, sprinkled on top works wonderfully.

You will need some ramekin dishes that can go in the oven, under the grill and in the fridge without cracking.
You can make it in a large dish if making for a family, but you'd have to watch carefully to ensure you got the correct balance of wobbliness to firmness when cooking.
Start by preheating the oven to a medium temperature - around 180c and boiling a kettle.
Put your ramekin dishes in a high sided baking tray and set aside.

Ingredients
250 grams tamarind
500 millilitres cream
6 egg yolks
One lime
A little sugar for sprinkling on top


Take the fruit out of the shells, and boil with enough water to make 100 ml tamarind flavoured water. Strain and allow to cool. Add the lime juice.
Whisk the egg yolks. Add the tamarind mixture to the eggs.
Pour the cream into a pan and heat till just before boiling point. Whisk into the eggs.
Pour some hot water into the roasting tray, to half way up the sides of the ramekin dishes and put in the oven.
Cook for about half an hour - the top will turn golden and the mixture will be wobbly like a jelly. Remove from the oven, and put the ramekins on a wire tray. Sprinkle with sugar. Once cool, put in the fridge for at least four hours, but preferably overnight. About thirty minutes (to ninety minutes) before serving, put under a hot grill (or use a cooks blow torch if you have one) until the sugar is liquid. Leave to cool. If you don't have a grill or blow torch, you can skip this stage, it's nearly as good. Once cool, serve immediately.