Uyen Luu

Get ahead

Make up to 2 days ahead and store in the fridge.

You will need

step by step

• 1Preheat the oven to 160°C, fan 140°C, gas 3. Beat all the ingredients for the crème together in a bowl. Strain through a sieve into a jug; set aside.
• 2For the caramel, put the sugar and coffee in a heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved, cook without stirring, swirling the pan occasionally, for 15 minutes. To test if the caramel is ready, drip a little into a ramekin with a spoon. If it hardens quickly, it is ready. If not, cook for a couple more minutes, then retest.

• The Vietnamese love crème caramel – it was brought over by the French. This caramel infused with coffee is a delicious twist on the classic

  Uyen Luu

• 3Once the caramel is ready, pour a thin layer into an 18-20cm cake tin or 8 x 175ml ramekins (enough to cover the base) and swirl around very quickly to coat the base before it sets. Allow to set and harden.
• 4Pour the crème into the prepared cake tin. If using ramekins, pour about 3cm of the crème into each one.  Place the tin/ramekins in a roasting tin; pour in enough water to come halfway up the sides – this is a bain-marie and allows even baking.
• 5Bake for 20-25 minutes for the individual portions or 40-45 minutes for the large one – they will still have a wobble in the centre that will set on cooling. Remove from the bain-marie, allow to cool, then chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.
• 6Run a thin knife all around the edge of the tin/ramekins. Turn it upside down on to a dish and tap to help it pop out. The caramel should drizzle down the sides, forming a puddle.
• Recipe adapted from My Vietnamese Kitchen by Uyen Luu (Ryland Peters & Small, £16.99). Recipe photograph by Karen Thomas