Classic Crème Caramel

Caramel Flan  / Caramel Custard

Here’s a confession. I don’t have a sweet tooth!

I can binge on tangy and spicy food forever but sweets…not the biggest fan.

Sugary food overwhelm my taste buds too soon, and the scale of sweetness limits my dessert portions. A lot of you might be nodding along!

Some desserts like this classic vanilla crème caramel or flan, I think, were invented to defeat human-tongues like mine, averse to sugar. You just can’t say ‘No’.

Crème Caramel is a French / Spanish dessert made with milk, eggs, vanilla and caramel made by cooking sugar. This super-silky and sophisticated classic, swimming in a pool of freshly made caramel sauce is winner in bistros and homes alike! It is also one of those fancy desserts that can seem quite intimidating to make, but it’s actually really simple.

Crème Caramel is a versatile dessert and each region of the world seems to have its own name and version to it. Some with cheese for a creamier texture, some with coffee (flan de café) or even coconut (flan de coco) and so many more, but nothing beats the classic vanilla crème caramel, made using minimal ingredients.

Traditionally, it is made in water baths on stove tops or ovens. The key is to bake the crème caramel in a water bath, which evenly regulates the heat around, without curdling the milk-egg mixture. The first time, I made it, I was being super cautious about the bath and did a lot of research before jumping in (like I said, it can be quite intimidating). I concentrated too much on the baking part and forgot to give attention to the caramel syrup. The end product looked perfect but tasted bitter because I had cooked the sugar too much and burnt my caramel sauce. That's something to take not of. There's not perfect time to cook the sugar. The best way to be sure is by color... it is just right when the syrup is between dark amber and golden brown. Anything lighter or darker doesn't work, and that is why, it is also recommended to use only white sugar for the recipe, to make sure the color assumptions are correct. 

Don't  be terrified already! The recipe IS simple...you just have to follow the instructions and measurement precisely. If the crème caramel does not come out of the ramekins or mould without breaking, on the first attempt, don't be disheartened. The quality of ingredients can do a lot, you'll get there!

THE RECIPE

Category: Dessert

Servings:  2

1 cup = 200 ml

Ingredients:

 - 2 whole eggs
 - 250 ml milk
 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla pod
 - 1/2 cup white sugar or 100 grams (divided)
 - 1 tablespoon water

Instructions:

1. Start by making the caramel sauce - Add about 1/6 cup of sugar in a sauce pan with 1 tablespoon of water and cook on medium heat until sugar melts and dissolves completely. Let the sugar cook until it turns a light brown color.
2. Turn off the heat and immediately pour caramel in the ramekins, enough to coat the bottom of each. Keep the ramekins aside for the caramel to cool. 
   
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 
4. Now, for the custard, pour milk in a sauce pan and bring it to boil. Just when the milk starts to boil, switch off the heat and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and stir to infuse the essence well. Set aside after few minutes
5. In a bowl add the whole eggs and sugar and whisk vigorously to attain a white and creamy texture. 
6. Pour the warm milk very gently through fine mesh sieve over the eggs and sugar mix. Mix well and remove any froth from the mixture.
7. Pour this custard mixture into the ramekins with caramel sauce. Pour up to a 1/4 inch from top of ramekin.
8. In a deep and large oven tray, place the ramekins and slowly pour hot water in the tray until the water reaches half way up of the ramekins. Avoid splashing water into the ramekins or custard mixture.
9. 
10. Carefully, slide the oven tray in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. The custard is cooked when it looks hard on the sides and wobbly in the center. Can also be checked by inserting a toothpick in the center. 
    
11. Remove the ramekins from the oven, let cool for about 20 minutes and then refrigerate them for 2 - 3 hours before serving. 
12. To serve, run a knife gently through the sides in the ramekin and quickly pop the custard upside down. If it seems hard to take it out of the mould/ramekin, just serve as it is.