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The end result is a bit darker in colour than usual as I used treacle sugar
instead of regular - but the taste is great! |
Crème caramel is one of my mom's staple
special treat desserts. Most things my mom makes from scratch but this is one
dish she has always relied on the good old Moir's for. She claims to have tried to make
it from scratch many times but has never succeeded in getting it to taste as
good as Moir's original crème caramel.
I
have no problem with this as they do taste really good. However, a few
weeks ago, I was paging through a new recipe book lent to me by a friend and
came across a recipe which sounded so simple and good I just had to
try it. Adam was also getting back from being away and I wanted
to surprise him with something special.
I did of course tweak it ever so
slightly and the end result was sublime. The perfect silky melt in your
mouth texture and rich caramel flavour. I added extra salt to the caramel sauce
as I'm totally hooked on this new salted caramel trend.
I
am looking forward to making it again soon for a friend who has always been a
crème caramel fiend.
PS - the recipe book I found the recipe in is called 'A farm in my heart' and is sublime! A joy to page through and a source for great recipes.
Traditional Crème Caramel with
Salted Caramel Sauce
Makes about 2 liters (enough for 6 - 8 guests)
For the salted caramel sauce
¾ cup of sugar (I used dark treacle
sugar)
3 - 4 Tbsp of water
¼ tsp of salt (or to taste)
For the custard
1 litre of full cream milk
6 large eggs
5 large egg yolks
¾ cup of sugar (I used dark
treacle sugar)
1 Tbsp of vanilla essence (or
the contents from one vanilla pod)
A pinch of salt
Pre heat your oven to 180˚C
and place the wrack at the bottom of the oven.
Spray 'n cook the mould you
want to use. A bread tin or cake tin can be used if you don’t have a specific pudding or jelly mould. Avoid spring form tins as they will leak. Try to use a tin which is the
correct size for the amount of liquid as it will unmold better. Find a suitable
oven proof container or roasting pan for your bain-marie (water bath) which you
will bake the custard in.
Heat the caramel sauce
ingredients in a sauce pan and stir until the sugar has dissolved. You can add a spoon more water if needed but limit this as the sauce should not be runny. Be cautious not to overcook or burn the sauce is it will turn bitter, so use moderate heat and develop only a light simmer. To check the taste and consistency of
the caramel, coat the back of a metal spoon. The caramel should set but not get
hard, then taste it to see if it tastes good.
Pour 2/3 of the sauce into the
bottom of the mould and set it aside to cool. The caramel will carry on cooking
in the pot once you remove it from the heat, so work fast to prevent it from burning.
Add 2 -3 Tbsp of water to the remaining sauce and stir it to combine. Set it
aside for use later.
Set a full kettle of water to
boil and get your baine-marie ready.
For the custard, heat the milk over
medium heat on the stove until just before it simmers. While you are waiting
for that, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt with an electric
beater until pale and smooth. Use a mixing bowl large enough to hold the full
custard mixture. Add the milk to the egg mixture and lightly combine with a wire
whisk. It should not get foamy.
Pour the custard through a
sieve over the caramel mixtures. Place the mould into the baine-marie and fill
with boiling water about 2/3 up the side of mould. Place this into the oven and
bake for about 15 minutes. Keep an eye on the oven as the water shouln't boil. The custard should set but
still be a little wobbly.
Remove the baine-marie from the
oven and allow it to stand for about 30 minutes before removing it from the
water.
Serve at room temperate or set
aside in the fridge until ready for use. To unmold, slide a knife around the
sides and invert onto a platter. I usually place the platter on top of the
mould and then invert both the mould and platter at the same time, to avoid the
dessert slipping out the mount before it has been inverted.
Pour the remaining caramel sauce
over the dessert and serve.
