Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Butter six ramekins or individual heatproof glass dishes
10cm/4in in diameter.
Divide the breadcrumbs between the ramekins
scattering them evenly.
Put the milk in a saucepan. Add both the vanilla seeds and pod to the saucepan. Slowly bring the milk just to the boil
then remove from the heat.
Whisk the sugar
egg and egg yolks together in a bowl. Pour on the hot milk and whisk well. Strain this into a jug.
Pour the custard into the prepared dishes
dividing it equally.
Stand the dishes in a large roasting dish. Pour enough hot water into the roasting tin to come about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes
or until the custards are set. Remove from the roasting tin and allow to cool. Discard the hot water. Return the ramekins to the emptied out roasting tin.
If your jam is very stiff
beat it to soften
or heat it slightly. When the custards are cool
spread the jam over them.
For the meringue topping
whisk the egg whites with an electric whisk
or using a freestanding mixer with a whisk attachment
until they hold stiff peaks when the whisk is removed. Beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time
until you have a fluffy meringue that holds stiff peaks when the whisk is removed.
Spoon the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm/½in nozzle and pipe it on top of the jam-topped custards. Bake for 10–15 minutes
until the meringue is light golden-brown. Serve immediately.
