Creme caramel

Creme caramel is an old dessert I always wanted to make. I adore desserts with caramel so this one was right up my alley. It looks stunning and you'd think it requires a lot of work or experience but it's actually very simple to make.
This dessert is prefect for making it in advance and just pop it out of the fridge when you need it. It actually needs a couple of hours in the fridge for the caramel to come out of the mold. When you unmold it you will be impressed with how good it looks and with simple garnishes it will look even more beautiful.

There are two steps to this dessert. First you need to make a caramel with sugar and water. The second step is making the custard. It's simple and requires ingredients that are usually already in your pantry.

The flavor is very similar to a creme brulee but instead of a crunchy top there is a caramel sauce that infuses the soft and smooth custard and runs all over the plate creating an amazing caramel "puddle". The custard can be infused with different flavors. I infused it with vanilla but you can use orange zest, almond extract or any other flavoring of you choice. The custard is very versatile and it takes on different flavors really well.

Creme caramel

(Makes about 6)

Time:
Preparation: 15min
Cooking: 10min
Baking: 25min
Setting: 2 hours or overnight

For the caramel:

• 120g white granulated sugar
• 30g water

For the custard:

• 3 eggs
• 500ml whole milk
• 50g white granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon corn starch
• 1 vanilla bean

Making the caramel:

Prepare the ceramic molds for your creme caramel. Place them on a kitchen towel in a deep baking dish (this will stop the molds from sliding all over). Put sugar and water together in a small sauce pan and place on medium heat. Cook until the caramel turns dark amber.

Pour the caramel into each mold and make sure it covers the bottom of the mold completely.

Set aside to cool.

Making the custard:

Preheat oven to 150°C (302°F).
Pour milk into small pot. Cut the vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds. Add them to the milk including the bean itself. Place the pot on medium heat. For intenser flavor bring the milk to a boil with your flavoring then cover and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes. Place on heat again and bring to a boil. 

In a small bowl whisk together eggs and sugar. Add the corn starch and whisk until combined.

When milk comes to a boil pour it into the bowl with eggs. Whisk continuously while pouring the hot milk on the egg mixture. 

Pour the mixture in a measuring jug through a sieve. Pour the custard on the caramel in the ceramic molds.

Pour hot water into a baking dish, so that it reaches half way up the molds. Carefully transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the custard is just a little wobbly in the middle.

When the custard is done baking, take the dish out of the oven and carefully take each mold out of the hot water and set aside to cool completely before putting them in the fridge for 2 hours to set.

When ready to unmold, take the knife and cut around the custard carefully. Flip the mold onto a plate and garnish.