Egg custard

Bring milk, cream and vanilla bean to simmering point in a heavy-based saucepan. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar until light, then whisk in warm milk and cream. Return to rinsed-out pan and cook over a moderate heat for at least 10 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Strain into a cold bowl, then scrape in some of the vanilla seeds from the vanilla pod. Serve warm or cold.

Rinse and dry the vanilla pod - it can be reused.