Vanilla Pod For Creme Brulee

Our answer

Nigella's Creme Brulee (from NIGELLA BITES) infuses cream with a vanilla pod (vanilla bean), before adding eggs and sugar and cooking the custard until slightly thickened. It is best to split the vanilla pod before adding it to the cream as this will help the flavour to infuse into the cream. You need a small, sharp knife to cut down the full length of the pod, then pull the two halves apart and add them to the cream.

After the custard has been cooked you can scrape the seeds from the pod if you like. Remove the pieces of pod from the custard and let them cool slightly, then use the pointed tip of a small knife to carefully scrape the inside of the pod halves and remove the tiny seeds. Whisk the seeds into the custard. You can use leftover vanilla pods to flavour some sugar for future use. Rinse the pods, then dry them with kitchen paper (paper towels) and leave them on a wire rack to dry. When the pods are dry to the touch add them to a jar (approximately 500ml/2 cups capacity) full of caster or granulated sugar, cutting the pods in half if necessary to fit into the jar, and seal tightly. The pods should last for around a year, stored in a cool dry place, and you can top up the jar with sugar to replace any sugar you use.