The Definitive Recipe For 'Clam Brulee'

I've frequently been asked for the recipe to my signature dessert, Clam Brulee. Be it after a dinner party where invitees have swooned over, as one critic put it, 'the stunning, sweet taste of confection and shellfish', or from internet friends completly blown away by the unlikely combination, I am invariably asked how to make what another critic labeled 'like a mouthful of the Thames sprinkled with sugary sunshine'.

Well, I now give to the world my recipe for Clam Brulee.

Ingedients: 6 egg yolks, 6 tablespoons of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 2 1/2 cups of heavy cream, 2 drops lemon juice, 6 ounces of precooked clams.

In a bowl, beat the egg yolks, 4 tablespoons of sugar and vanilla until thick and luscious. Set aside.

In a saucepan, heat the cream over low heat until just about to boil. Quickly remove from the heat. Add the cream to the egg mixture and mix until combined. Add 5 ounces of clams and stir thoroughly.

Add the cream/egg/clam mixture to the top of a double boiler and stir gently over simmering water for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and fill six small ramekins.

Place the filled ramekins into a preheated 300 degree F oven for 30 minutes. Remove and let cool in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, combine the remaining 1 ounce of clams with the lemon juice. Set aside.

Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over each ramekin, then top each with a few clams.

Place in broiler until the sugar melts. Do not allow to burn.

Remove from heat and refrigerate until the custard mixture cools.

Serve as a refreshing after dinner dessert and let the compliments wash over you.

Enjoy!