Mary Berry's 'classic' crème brûlée dessert recipe is perfect for parties

Glasses of Creme Brulee (Image: Getty)

Individual pots of creme brûlée could be created with Mary Berry's recipe, or even large batches of the delicious dessert.

Should you have people coming over for New Year's Day, this delightful pudding could be the star of the show.

Simply made ahead of time, it's best to prepare the dish the evening before guests arrive.

Requiring up to 10 hours in the fridge (but no more) for the best results, it could even be prepared first thing in the morning.

Here's how to recreate Mary Berry's magical and "classic" crème brûlée with her straightforward recipe.

Creme brulee is a lovely dessert (Image: Getty)

Crème brûlée

Ingredients

85g caster sugar

12 egg yolks

Three tsp vanilla extract

1.2 ltr double cream

300ml single cream

25g demerara sugar

100g raspberries, to decorate

Mint leaves, to decorate

Equipment

2.4 litre shallow wide-based ovenproof dish, greased

Creme brûlée with raspberries and mint (Image: Getty)

Method

Preheat the oven to 160C (140C fan/325F/gas three). Meanwhile, put the sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla extract into a large mixing bowl and whisk together by hand.

Put the double cream and single cream into a saucepan and heat until just below boiling point. Pour the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture, whisking quickly until combined.

Pour the custard through a sieve into the prepared ovenproof dish. Put the dish into a large roasting tin and pour enough boiling water into the tin so that it comes halfway up the sides of the dish.

Slide it into the oven and cook for 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the roasting tin, then place in the fridge and chill until stone cold.

Sprinkle over the demerara sugar, then pop under a hot grill for 20 to 25 minutes. To give the topping time to soften, chill in the fridge for at least five hours and up to 10 hours, but no more. To serve, cut into portions and decorate with raspberries and mint leaves.