Cappuccino brûlée with cinnamon beignets

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 140˚C/120˚C fan-assisted/gas mark 1. Lightly grease 4 ovenproof coffee cups or ramekins and stand them on a baking tray.
2. Put the cream and milk into a heavy-based saucepan and gently heat to scalding point. Remove from the heat and stir through the coffee.
3. In a large heatproof bowl, beat the egg yolks until pale and fluffy. Slowly pour over the hot cream mixture, whisking well. Whisk in the caster sugar then strain through a fine sieve into a jug.
4. Pour the mixture equally into the coffee cups or ramekins. Bake for 35-45 minutes (depending on the size of the moulds you use) until the custards are just set on the top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. The mixture will continue to thicken on cooling. Chill until required.
5. When ready to serve, sprinkle a teaspoon of demerara sugar evenly over the surface of each custard and caramelise with a blow-torch. Whip the cream with 1 teaspoon of icing sugar and spoon a quenelle or dollop on top of the brûlée. Dust with cinnamon. Serve with the cinnamon beignets.

To make the beignets

1. Put the butter, water and sugar into a saucepan. Bring to the boil. Add the flour, beating well until you have a smooth, shiny batter that will leave the sides of the saucepan clean.
2. Remove from the heat and slowly stir in the eggs one at a time, beating continuously until you have a smooth paste.
3. Fill a heavy-based pan one-third full with sunflower oil and place over a moderate heat. Once the oil is hot, add heaped dollops of the batter into the oil using two teaspoons. You will need to do this in batches in order to not overcrowd the pan. Fry for about 5 minutes, turning over to brown evenly. (Strain the oil through a mesh sieve and reuse).
4. Meanwhile, mix the sugar with the cinnamon and lay onto a baking tray. Once the beignets are cooked, remove with a metal slotted spoon and coat in the spiced sugar mix. Serve alongside the cappuccino brûlées.