Garlic baked custards

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Grease six 125 ml ramekins or dariole moulds with the butter. Break up the garlic into cloves, leaving them unpeeled, then put all the cloves in a shallow ovenproof dish with the olive oil, water, thyme and bay leaves. Bake them in the oven for 45-60 minutes, until the garlic is really soft, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

2. Once the garlic cloves are cool, remove them from the cooking juices (reserve the juices). Squeeze the garlic flesh out of the papery skins into a bowl and mash the flesh.

3. Combine the whole egg, the egg yolks, cream, parmesan and 2 tablespoons of the garlicky cooking juices, including half the thyme leaves, in a bowl, then stir in the mashed garlic. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and process it until really smooth. Season with a pinch of cayenne pepper and salt and pepper.

4. Pour this custard mixture into the prepared ramekins, dividing it equally. Sit the ramekins in a roasting tin containing enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the dishes and bake for about 30 minutes, or until just set. Serve hot, turned out on to plates with lightly fried mixed mushrooms on the side and some French bread.