I’ve included this recipe in my Christmas Cookin’ section because it is so easy and delicious and perfect to serve at an event. I know we’re all going to be going to a number of house limes and be hosting a number of house limes as well. Why not impress your guests or your hosts with some yummy, jiggly creme caramel?
Crème caramel, also known as flan, is a French dish. It is a sweet custard with a very soft texture. I didn’t know the difference between crème caramel and crème brûlée and it basically boils down (see what I did there) to the caramel topping being soft and hard respectively.
I have never been a fan of this dish until recently. I think as I got older, my taste matured (but mostly I still eat like a 5 year old). I had the pleasure of sampling one of my friend’s crème caramels and it was absolutely yummy! So much so, that she inspired to take a shot at it.
One little note about this dish is, although it is super simple, keep your eye on the sugar. It takes a while to become golden brown but the line between golden brown and BURNT is a thin one, so be careful! (Talking from experience). Also, be careful with the sugar because that shit sticks to your skin and burns you, also speaking from experience.
INGREDIENTS
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tin sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
METHOD
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water over low heat
- Stir until sugar is dissolved
- Bring to a boil but do not stir, remove from heat when sugar turns golden
- Pour sugar to bottom of a greased dish
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together egg yolks, egg white, condensed milk, milk and vanilla essence
- Strain mixture through a sieve to remove any egg yolk that might have remained
- Pour into baking dish
- Place dish in a baking tray and pour boiling water to come halfway up the side of the dish
- Bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until set but still jiggly in the center
- Remove from water bath
- Let cool to room temperature and then cover with cling wrap
- Refrigerate overnight
- Run a butter knife along the edges of the dish and invert for serving