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Creme caramel or flan, is a custard dessert that has this layer of burnt caramel on top,
and it's surrounded by this delicious caramel syrup. This recipe holds a special place in
my heart 'cause it was actually the first recipe that I learned how to make when I was
only 8 years old. It's really simple but looks totally impressive! You're going to need 4
whole eggs, 2 egg yolks, 1/2 cup of sugar, 2 ½ cups of half and half and 1 teaspoon
vanilla extract. For the Caramel you're going to need ¾ cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water.
First, arrange your ramekins on a baking pan. You can use anywhere from 4 to 6 depending
on how big your ramekins are. To start we're going to cook the caramel. Combine your sugar
and water in a small sauce pan and simmer it over medium heat, stirring it occasionally
until the sugar dissolves. Let it cook until the caramel turns into this rich amber and
color. I would say this takes about about 20 or 25 minutes. But during the last few
minutes make sure you keep a close eye on it because once it starts to turn a golden
color it's going to start darkening quick. Now, while it's still hot, carefully pour
a little bit of the sugar syrup into each of your ramekins, just enough to coat the
bottoms; if the caramel starts to get hard just gently reheat it. Now preheat your oven
to 300° F. In another saucepan, bring the milk and sugar to a simmer on medium heat
and gently stir it to dissolve the sugar again. This will take 3 to 5 minutes, then let it
cool for a bit while you start working on the eggs. Now in a large bowl thoroughly whisk
the eggs with the yolks. Then slowly whisk in the warm milk and then add the vanilla.
The eggs are going to leave behind these globby yolky pieces so we want to strain it out.
Strain the mixture through a sieve into a pouring cup. Then fill each of the ramekins
near the top. Add some hot water to the roasting pan until it reaches almost halfway up the
ramekins, so basically half of the pan. This will provide a little bit of steam and soft
even heat while you're baking it so it doesn't burn the custard. Cover the entire pan with
foil and then bake the custards for about 35-40 minutes until they're set but still
jiggly. My mom made this for every special occasion. It was basically our version of
the birthday cake. Remove the ramekins from the water bath and
then let them cool on a rack to room temperature. Then cover it with some plastic wrap and refrigerate
it overnight. Now comes the fun part. To serve, pour 2 inches of really hot water into a small
bowl. Dip the ramekin in the hot water for about 10 seconds. This is going to help loosen
all the caramel sauce up. Then run a thin knife around the edge of the ramekins to loosen
the custard. Now take a plate, put it on top of the ramekin and then invert the whole thing.
Look at the colors, it's like ombre! Make sure with each bite, you get a little bit
of the sauce. Enjoy, Bye!