1. Place the cream and the vanilla
essence in a medium saucepan and bring the contents
to a boil.
2. While the cream is heating beat the egg yolks
with 1 Tbsp of the sugar until thick and pale yellow
in color.
3. As soon as the cream has come to the boil, remove
from heat and allow to cool slightly.
4. Gently and slowly, pour the cream into the egg
yolks whisking continuously as you go,
5. Pour the mixture into either a large ovenproof
dish or individual ramekins and bake for half an
hour or until the custards have set at 300 F.
6. Remove from oven and cool then refrigerate for
2 hours
7. 2 hours before serving sprinkle the top with
the remaining sugar and broil under a preheated
grill until the sugar has caramelized to a deep
brown color. Watch closely at this step to avoid
accidentally buring the tops more than they should
be.
