Orange crème brûlée

I tried to write a nice post for today’s recipe but all I can think of is that my coconut ice cream photo came in second in April's DMBLGIT! :)

I’ve taken part in several DMBLGIT editions, but had never won anything – it is so good to be there. And to see my lovely friend Meeta there, too, with her gorgeous brioche- yum!

A special thank you to Julia for hosting the event so beautifully, and to the super talented judges.

Orange crème brûlée
adapted from Australian Gourmet Traveller

¾ cup (180ml) heavy cream
1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk
a 5cm (2in) piece orange zest
1 tablespoon Cointreau
¼ cup (50g) caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
4 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F. Combine cream, milk and orange zest in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and bring almost to the boil. Cover and set aside for 20 minutes. Add the Cointreau.
Reheat the cream mixture. Combine egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until thick and pale. Whisking continuously, add half the hot cream mixture, then stir in the rest. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, then ladle into four 100ml cup-capacity ramekins. Place ramekins in a roasting pan and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Cover pan with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes or until set. Check brûlées throughout cooking process to ensure they are not cooking too quickly. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until firm.
Scatter brûlées with caster sugar and caramelize with a blow torch or under a hot grill.

Serves 4