Chocolate créme brulee with salted melon and marjoram

by Ed Halmagyi

Ingredients

  • 600ml cream
  • ½ cup caster sugar (plus extra for caramelising)
  • 150g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
  • 6 egg yolks
  • ½ rockmelon
  • 2 cups watermelon
  • 2 Tbsp raw caster sugar
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • juice and finely-grated zest of 1 lime
  • seeds of 1 vanilla bean
  • ½ bunch marjoram leaves

Instructions

1 Preheat oven to 120°C. Combine the cream and half the caster sugar in a small saucepan and simmer until the sugar dissolves, then add the chocolate and set aside until melted. Whisk the egg yolks and remaining caster sugar in a bowl, pour in the chocolate mixture, then strain into four gratin dishes. Place in a bainmarie and bake for 1 hour, until set. Refrigerate until firm.
2 Scoop out he melons with ballers and toss with the raw caster sugar, salt, zest, juice and marjoram leaves.
3 Dry the tops of the custards with kitchen paper, then sprinkle with the extra caster sugar and grill with a blowtorch, until well-caramelised.