I am thinking about Crème Caramel, even as the day seem long today with the sun beating down on tiny Trinidad and Tobago mercilessly. However, I hear there's a chance we would have rain. That's great to hear. Anyhow, if you're looking for a wonderful gourmet treat to impress your dinner guests I have found the perfect one; it will certainly be loved by everyone. I even enjoyed it, and I believe you may also… especially, if you have an acquired taste for the finer cuisine. What I'm referring to is Crème Caramel.
A Simple Crème Caramel Dessert
Don't be worried by all the fancy spelling and french sounding name for this delicious dessert, because this “bad boy” ( sounded like Guy Fieri there for a moment lol!) is simple to make….once you follow my instructions to the letter. Creme Caramel is a delicious custard dessert (a flan) that is topped with a soft caramel. There, wasn't that easy to explain? Of course, so basically all you have is in this creme caramel recipe is a custard with something close to browning on top of it ….something every Trini know how to make.
Beginning With the Custard
But, there is a little catch to making the caramel which you would see later on. Want a hint? It involves a conflict between temperatures….Let's move on. The custard we will be making from scratch and that too will be easy. So, just follow the pictures and soon you will be impressing your family and friends.
So, I invite you to take up the challenge… and try making creme caramel from scratch like the pros do. Once you see how easy it is you will not be disappointed with your efforts. No, really you won't be disappointed…As we say in Trini “it does lash real good” 🙂
So, here's how to make creme caramel from scratch. Take your time and read the instructions carefully before you start. Set out your dishes and utensils and have your ingredients ready. If all else fails refer to the pictures or leave me a comment…….
Talking about comments, I am pleased to say that you can now leave facebook comments on the blog as well; hope you all make good use of it , especially my fans 🙂
Enough talk, time to make crème caramel. Enjoy!
Crème Caramel Recipe
CRÈME CARAMEL
Ingredients:
Caramel:
3/4 cups sugar
1 drop of lemon juice
2 tbsp. water
Cold water
Ice
Custard:
3 3/4 cups milk
3/4 cups sugar
5 small eggs
4 egg yolks
1 tbsp. vanilla essence
Direction:
Boiled water (approximately 10 cups).
You will need 8 ramekins and 2 large enough baking dishes for this creme caramel recipe.
To make the custard:
Use small eggs for this recipe.
In this bowl: five whole eggs and four egg yolks.
Beat the eggs well.
Add the milk and vanilla ….
Add the milk mixture to the sugar in a deep pot.
Stir and place on a low fire.
Bring the milk, sugar and vanilla to boil. Then remove from fire and set aside to cool.
Add the milk to the eggs all at once and whip until smooth
Strain the custard into a clean bowl to ensure it is smooth. Set aside.
To make the caramel:
Keep a container with cold water and ice close by the stove.
Place the sugar, lemon juice, and water in a sauce pan.
Bring the sugar to boil. Notice the sugar taking on the brown colour; if it is getting brown on one side, gently tilt the pot to mix the sugar and distribute the heat evenly. Take care not to scorch.
Once sugar has reached a light brown colour, remove it from the heat immediately…
…and shock it in the ice bath to stop the sugar from cooking. Shock it 3 times (this will not stop the sugar from continuing to take on colour and burn).
Note: Right, so here we have the difference I was talking about earlier…We are not making browning, so the sugar cannot be allowed to make a dark brown colour…It will taste bitter.
Also, you will not be able to spread it around in the ramekin as it may get too firm.
Make sure your ramekins are placed in a second pan or baking dish and fill halfway with the hot water. Next, pour about a tablespoon of the caramel into the ramekin, spread the caramel to fill the bottom of the mold.
Fill each sugar lined ramekin with the custard liquid.
To evenly fill the ramekins, use a liquid measuring cup that has a spout.
Bake the custard for 45 minutes in a 350 degree F oven.
Cool, then chill before serving.
Serve inverted on to a rimmed serving platter.
Crème Caramel
Ingredients
- For Custard:
- 3 3/4 cups milk
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 5 small eggs
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp. vanilla
- For Caramel:
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1 drop of lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. water
- Cold water
- Ice
- Boiled water approximately 10 cups.
Instructions
- Note: You will need 8 ramekins and 2 large enough baking dishes for this creme caramel recipe..
- To make the custard: Beat the eggs. Bring the milk, sugar and vanilla to boil. Then remove from fire and set aside to cool. Add the milk to the eggs all at once and whip until smooth. Strain the custard into a clean bowl and set aside.
- To make the caramel: In a sauce pan, bring the sugar, lemon juice, and water to boil. Notice the sugar taking on the brown colour; if it is getting brown on one side, gently tilt the pot to mix the sugar and distribute the heat evenly. Take care not to scorch.
- Once sugar has reached a light brown colour, remove it from the heat immediately and shock it in the ice bath to stop the sugar from cooking. Shock it 3 times (this will not stop the sugar from continuing to take on colour).
- Next, pour about a tablespoon of the caramel into the ramekin, spread the caramel to fill the bottom of the mold. Please note: don't allow the caramel to cook too much, it will get bitter. Also, you will not be able to spread it around in the ramekin as it may get too firm.
- Place molds in a second pan fill halfway with the hot water.
- Strain custard into a clean container to ensure a smooth product. Fill each sugar line ramekin with the custard liquid. To evenly fill the ramekin use a liquid measuring cup that has a spout.
- Bake the custard for 45 minutes in a 350 degree F oven. Cool, then chill before serving. Serve inverted on to a rimmed serving platter.
Well that's all there is to it to making a wonderful dessert everyone will surely enjoy. And, if you have one or two remaining hide it because some people will want seconds.
More recipes to come.
Ah gone! 🙂
Enjoy your Crème Caramel dessert.
yum. I remember the first time we made this from scratch. it was so smooth. lovely.
So the old baker at Piarco, Belair Hotel gave me this recipe years ago. But the flan was baked in a 9″ in another pan with water. Does that make sense to you?
Of course it makes sense Tim. I just made it using ramekins so that it can be served in neatly. Making it in the 9″ pan will of course require you to serve it as slices ( like a cake). Thank you for taking the time to comment. Do stop by again 🙂
Merry Christmas Felix
First of all thank you for sharing all your recipe, I really want to give away my recipe because I love to see peoples faces light up when they try something I made….but here you are posting them for all to see and I thank you for that…
So my husband is a Vegan and I desperately want to make Flan from scratch for him, what can I use as a substitute for eggs??? I’ve tried a couple of things but need a substitution for this and sponge cake….bad bad bad!!! he he he …….
Nisha, fans like you and many others that frequent the site help me push the envelope so to speak when it comes to Trini cooking and I thank you all for that the flan recipe will require tofu and agar to help it become firm. Seems like I would have to do this one for you all …of course with a Trini twist. 🙂