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Crème Caramel with Burnt Honey & Vanilla Bean

A classic crème caramel with burnt honey in the caramel and orange zest in the custard.

Six ramekins, a caramel taken to deep amber and finished with burnt honey and salt, and a custard infused with vanilla and a little orange.

Written for 6 ramekins

Cook this

Do not stir the sugar and water. Let it bubble and swirl gently on its own until it is deep amber, then take it off the heat before the honey goes in.

Chef Paul Dukai

Ingredients

Serves 6

The caramel

  • Granulated sugar150 g
  • Water30 ml
  • Burnt honey, or a dark floral honey such as chestnut or eucalyptus15 ml
  • Sea salta pinch

The custard

  • Full cream milk500 ml
  • Fresh cream, 35 percent fat250 ml
  • Vanilla bean, or 1 tsp vanilla paste1 each
  • Orange zestof half an orange, optional, for subtle depth
  • Granulated sugar100 g
  • Whole eggs, large4 each
  • Egg yolks2 each

Method

The caramel

  1. Put the sugar and water into a saucepan without stirring and place over a medium heat.

  2. Let it bubble and swirl gently until it turns a deep amber.

  3. Off the heat, whisk in the burnt honey and the sea salt, then quickly pour it into the ramekins, one per portion, to coat the bottoms evenly. Set aside to cool and harden.

The custard

  1. Combine the milk, cream, scraped vanilla seeds and pod and the orange zest in a saucepan and bring just to a gentle simmer. Off the heat, infuse for 10 to 15 minutes.

  2. Whisk the eggs, yolks and sugar until pale and silky, without incorporating too much air.

  3. Remove the vanilla pod and zest from the milk, then temper the hot liquid gradually into the egg mixture, whisking continuously.

  4. Strain the custard through a fine sieve into a jug.

Baking and setting

  1. Preheat the oven to 150°C.

  2. Pour the custard into the ramekins over the set caramel, place them in a deep tray and pour hot water halfway up their sides.

  3. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until just set but still slightly wobbly in the centre.

  4. Remove from the water bath, cool at room temperature, then chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Chef’s notes

  • Garnishes that suit it: edible flowers, vanilla salt flakes, or candied orange zest. A more modern turn would be a smoked sea salt brittle or a saffron cream.

The finish

  1. Run a small knife around the edge of each ramekin.
  2. Invert onto chilled dessert plates and let the caramel cascade.

Keeping

DUKAI storage guidance

The chill of at least 6 hours is part of making it. After that, keep the ramekins covered at 5°C or below and use within 3 to 4 days, the usual range for a cooked egg custard. Unmould to order: once turned out, the caramel begins to thin.

Allergens and diet

Milk. Eggs.

Last refined · September 2026