creme caramel

March 1, 2007 at 9:14 pm | Posted in Other Desserts | 3 Comments

i wanted to make chocolate pudding yesterday, but realised that we’ve run out of cornflour, so i switched to this:

2/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup water

custard:
2/3 cup milk
3/4 cup cream
2 eggs
4 egg yolks, extra
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. preheat the oven to 150 degrees celsius. place the sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. brush the sides of the pan with a little water to remove any sugar crystals. increase the heat and boil for 8-10 minutes or until the syrup is a deep golden colour. (this part is very tricky because the caramel mixture can scorch very easily)
pour into 4 ramekins. set aside for 5 minutes to allow the caramel to set.

2. to make the custard, place the milk and cream in a saucepan over low heat and heat till warm. place the eggs, extra egg yolks, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and whisk until well combined. slowly pour over the milk mixture while whisking well to combine. strain and pour over the caramel in the ramekins.

3. place the ramekins in a water bath. bake for 35 minutes or until the custard is set. remove from the tray and refrigerate until cold. to serve, dip the base of each ramekin into hot water for 10 seconds, invert the creme caramel onto a plate and serve immediately.

i think my caramel was a bit overdone, but both the boy and i liked it. my mum, however, said that the texture was a bit dense. if i do this again, i will lessen the amount of cream and increase the milk. otherwise, i think it was a pretty okay first attempt.