Chef's Table: Aaron Potter's Crème Caramel Recipe

When Aaron Potter set about opening a modern Mediterranean restaurant in London, he wanted to create a place that was “all about eating together, sharing great food with good company in a friendly and relaxed environment.” A simple concept centred on simple, high-quality food.

Since first welcoming diners in 2024, Wildflowers has captured the hearts – and stomachs – of Londoners. Grace Dent is even a fan, stating that the food is “so refined and beautiful, I felt unkempt.” Between the stunning interiors, designed by stylist and co-owner Laura Hart and Potter’s deeply flavourful cooking, namely dishes like the baked cuttlefish “arroz al horno”, it’s been a runaway success. As an exclusive for SPHERE and to celebrate the remnants of summer feasting, Potter has shared his lemon thyme crème caramel – a delicately balanced dessert that pairs bright citrus notes, fragrant herbs and a silky dark caramel.

Ingredients

For the crème:

• 500g whole milk
• 900g double cream
• 8 egg yolks
• 6 x whole eggs
• 250g sugar
• 50g bunch lemon thyme 
• Wild strawberries
• Good quality white balsamic 
• Good quality extra virgin olive oil 

For the caramel: 

• 300g caster sugar
• 2 x 60ml water 

Method

• Bring the milk and cream up to a gentle simmer and pour over the lemon thyme, leave to infuse for 20 minutes. Once infused, pass through a fine sieve and bring back up to a boil and pour over the egg yolks, whole eggs and sugar and whisk to combine. Allow to cool slightly and skim off any foam that rises to the top. 

• Next, make a fairly dark caramel with the 300g of sugar and the first 60ml of water, which will help the sugar dissolve before caramelising. When you are happy with the colour of the caramel – which you should be fairly brave with – remove the pan from the heat and add the remaining 60ml of water. Be very careful doing this as it will bubble immediately. Swirl the pan around to incorporate the water fully and until the caramel settles down and stops bubbling. 

• Once the caramel has settled, pour thinly and evenly into the bottom of the dariole moulds and allow to set for at least 1 hour at room temperature. 

• Prepare your Bain-Marie tray by lining it with an oven cloth and placing your caramel moulds evenly spaced inside. Bring a pan of water up to a boil and set to one side. 

•  Separately, ensure your creme caramel mix is roughly 50 degrees and fill your dariole right to the brim. Pour the boiling hot water around, up to about half way up the moulds, cover the tray tightly with cling film or tin foil and bake at 105 degrees for 42 minutes. Depending on the size of your moulds, you may need slightly longer, but check after this amount of time to be safe. If they are not quite set, reduce the temperature of the oven to 95 degrees and continue cooking, fully covered until just set with a nice wobble. 

• Remove the cremes from the oven and allow to cool gently in the Bain Marie for 10 minutes before removing from the tray. Allow to cool fully at room temperature before popping in the fridge, to avoid the cremes cracking on the surface 

• To turn out, simply turn the dariole mould over into the serving bowl and lightly blow torch the exterior evenly all over. You will notice some caramel leak onto the plate, gently lift the dariole off and the crème caramel should gently fall out. 

•  Drizzle with some good-quality extra virgin olive oil into the caramel and finish with a little pinch of sea salt.