Makes 6

Make these up in chunky coffee or tea cups so they travel well (or sturdy ramekins). Bake the cinnamon-scented custards on sliced roasted plums. And don’t forget to pack the teaspoons to eat them with.

350ml double cream
125ml whole milk, preferably UHT
1 large cinnamon stick
6 large ripe plums
3 tbsp icing sugar
50g butter
6 large free-range egg yolks
75g caster sugar
Some demerara sugar, for the brûlée tops

1 Heat the cream and milk with the cinnamon stick until scalding and allow to cool.
2 Meanwhile, stone the plums and cut each in quarters. Heat a non-stick frying pan until hot. Toss the plum quarters with the icing sugar, then slide into the hot pan in a single layer. Cook on a high heat until they start to caramelise, then stir in the butter and cook for a few minutes more. Remove and divide between six cups or ramekins of about 150-200ml capacity.
3 Remove the cinnamon stick and reheat the cream. At the same time, beat the egg yolks in a large, heatproof bowl until a pale yellow.
4 Heat the oven to 150C, Gas 1. Pour the hot, steaming cream on to the yolks in two to three stages, whisking well. Then whisk in the sugar. Strain this liquid into a jug to remove any egg strings.
5 Then divide this between the cups. Bake for about 45-50 minutes until very lightly set on top. You can check this by slightly tipping one of the custards. If it leaves the side of the cup and is still slightly wobbly then it is ready. Remove from the oven and cool. You will find the mixture thickens on cooling. Chill until required.
6 When firm, fix the brûlée topping. Sprinkle each cup with a teaspoon of demerara and caramelise the top with a blowtorch. Alternatively, put them under a burning hot grill, although this is not as effective and may melt the set custard.

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