Crème Caramel

Who can resist this simple dessert with its smooth mouthfeel and burnt sugar sauce?!

This recipe provides for one large crème caramel or 8-10 small, individual desserts, depending on the size of your moulds.

50g + 50g caster sugar

500ml milk

10ml vanilla

4 whole eggs

4 egg yolks

Caramel:

100g sugar

100ml water

Preheat your oven to 160℃.

Add 50g caster sugar and 500ml milk to a saucepan and put it onto medium-low heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

Heat the milk mixture to just before boiling point. (This is when you can see the heat coming from the surface of the milk and minuscule bubbles forming on the sides of the saucepan.).

Take the saucepan from the heat.

Add the whole eggs and egg yolks to a mixing bowl and sprinkle the last 50g of caster sugar on top.

Whisk the egg and sugar mixture by hand until fully blended.

Now, start adding the warm milk from the saucepan in a very thin stream while whisking vigorously. Remember: pour slowly, whisk quickly!

Add the vanilla to the mixture and stir through.

Strain the milk mixture through a very fine sieve and set aside.

Caramel:

Prepare a 22cm diameter solid cake tin or deep ceramic dish, or individual ovenproof bowls by spraying it with cooking spray. Put the cake tin/ceramic dish/moulds in a roasting tray - you are going to bake the custards in a Bain Marie .

Fill your sink with ice cold water - you will cool the sugar in it at a later stage but it is important to fill it now.

Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan and turn on the heat.

Stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved and do not stir again!

Turn up the heat and wait for the sugar to start changing colour. Swirl the saucepan if you like but do not stir the mixture!

When the sugar has reached a beautiful caramel colour, remove it from the heat and immediately plunge the bottom of the saucepan into the sink with cold water. This prevents the sugar from cooking further and burning.

Carefully pour the caramelised sugar to a depth of 3mm in each mould/tin and put aside for about 5 minutes. Check whether the caramel has set by touching it lightly with the back of a wooden spoon.

Now pour the custard mixture into your moulds and place them back into the roasting tin.

Fill the roasting tin with enough very hot water to come about two thirds up the side of the moulds.

Place the custards into the oven and bake for 45 minutes.

Remove the roasting tin with the cremes and cool completely before refrigerating for 2 hours.

Un-mould the caramels by place a serving dish onto the mould and then flipping it. Allow it to stand for a few minutes if it does not slip out immediately.

Serve and enjoy!