Recipe kindly offered by Denise Prulière (Wall Street Institute, Montpellier).

This is my very best Financial Crisis French Recipe and one of my best even WITHOUT a recession. Less than 1€ per person if you use premier prix ingredients - and that’s for 6 BIG servings! This is a real treat, and easily my favourite French dessert.

INGREDIENTS

6 eggs
300 gr sugar
2 packets of vanilla
25 gr Maïzena
1,5 litre milk

Caramel : 20 lumps of sugar, 1 spoonful of water, 4 drops lemon juice

PREPARATION

Boil the milk with 200gr sugar and 2 packets of vanilla sugar.

Separate the egg yolks.

In a sauce pan, mix vigorously the egg yolks and the Maïzena (or replace this with flour). Add the hot milk slowly, mixing continuously. Remove from the heat as soon as it boils. Pour into a salad bowl.

Beat the egg whites and a pinch of salt until firm. Gradually fold in remaining sugar in small amounts.

Bake immediately in a preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. It will rise and turn golden. Too much time is better than too little. Remove and cool at room temperature.

Just before serving, melt the lumps of sugar in a small pan and the water until it becomes clear caramel. Add some drops of lemon. Place the whites on top of the cream and dribble the hot liquid caramel over the top.

‘Un truc’ from the publisher: “Thanks Denise for this recipe which is also my favourite. To keep your egg whites firm longer, instead of oven cooking place them in the microwave - around 3 minutes full blast.” “When your Crème Anglaise is cold lumps can appear, so don’t hesitate to beat it a for a few seconds with an electric blender before serving. It will be nice and smooth this way.”