Is there anything better than sinking your spoon into a velvety soft Crème caramel? Ooooh heavenly! Crème caramel or flan, a classic beauty is the next one to come on stage. This super easy pudding is a crowd-pleaser.

The main feature of this pudding is its texture. If that is not perfect all is lost. The main catch to get that light, creamy feel to the pudding is to get the amount of eggs used and heating time right.

Too many eggs will give a rubbery texture and if too little the custard will collapse. If cooked for too long or at too high a heat it will have air bubbles all over it which will destroy the glacial texture that makes the crème caramel so great. So to prevent direct heat from reaching the custard, we are going to bake it in a water bath. The water bath should never come to a boil and if it does, your oven should be turned down immediately, the whole point of baking something in a water bath is to keep the temperature low to slowly bake.

This smooth and luscious item will definitely be a satisfying conclusion to a hearty dinner or lunch. So here goes the list of ingredients and the method of preparation. Hope you all give these delicious treats a try soon. =)

Recipe courtesy: Chef John of foodwishes

Ingredients for 4 (6.5 oz) Crème Caramels:

For the caramel:

Sugar- 1/2 cup

For the custard:

Egg- 1 large
Egg yolks- 3 large
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Sugar- 1/4 cup
Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
Crème fraiche- 1/2 cup
Milk- 1/2 cup

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly spray 4 heatproof 6.5-oz. ramekins with vegetable spray. Place ramekins in a casserole dish.
2. Place 1/2 cup sugar in a small, heavy, dry skillet over medium heat. When sugar begins to melt around the edges, gently shake the pan continually, swirling sugar around, until all the sugar melts; don’t use utensils to stir. When sugar is completely melted and dark brown, remove the pan from heat.
3. Quickly pour equal amounts of caramel syrup into the 4 prepared ramekins.
4. Place 1 egg and 3 egg yolks in a bowl with a pinch of salt and 1/4 cup sugar. Whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture becomes frothy, about 1 minute.
5. Spoon the creme fraiche into the egg mixture; add the milk and the vanilla. Whisk together until ingredients are completely mixed.
6. Ladle mixture into the prepared ramekins, filling them about 2/3 to 3/4 full.
7. Fill casserole with hot tap water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Place casserole on middle rack of preheated oven.
8. Bake until just barely set, 45 to 50 minutes. You can start checking for doneness at about 40 minutes.
9. Using tongs, remove the ramekins from the casserole to a cooling rack. When just slightly warm, run a sharp paring knife around the edge of each custard.
10. To unmold, cover ramekin with a small plate, then invert. Chill before serving.

Notes:
✔Crème fraiche can be found in the refrigerator section of supermarket. If you cant find crème fraiche, substitute it with whipping cream (not dream whip powder).
✔Ramekins are small ceramic dishes which can be used for baking as well as for serving. You can see the orange colored ramekins in my pictures. If you don’t have these use a round medium sized cake baking dish and use a larger casserole for the water bath. The baking pan must be coated well with caramel sauce and pour the entire custard mixture into it.
✔You can know that your custard is done when you find that it is set on the sides but a little wobbly in the centre.

Crème caramel

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Ingredients

  

INGREDIENTS

For the caramel

• Sugar- 1/2 cup

For the custard

• Egg- 1 large
• Egg yolks- 3 large
• Salt- 1/4 tsp
• Sugar- 1/4 cup
• Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
• Crème fraiche- 1/2 cup
• Milk- 1/2 cup

Instructions

 

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly spray 4 heatproof 6.5-oz. ramekins with vegetable spray. Place ramekins in a casserole dish.
• Place 1/2 cup sugar in a small, heavy, dry skillet over medium heat. When sugar begins to melt around the edges, gently shake the pan continually, swirling sugar around, until all the sugar melts; don’t use utensils to stir. When sugar is completely melted and dark brown, remove the pan from heat.
• Quickly pour equal amounts of caramel syrup into the 4 prepared ramekins.
• Place 1 egg and 3 egg yolks in a bowl with a pinch of salt and 1/4 cup sugar. Whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture becomes frothy, about 1 minute.
• Spoon the creme fraiche into the egg mixture; add the milk and the vanilla. Whisk together until ingredients are completely mixed.
• Ladle mixture into the prepared ramekins, filling them about 2/3 to 3/4 full.
• Fill casserole with hot tap water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Place casserole on middle rack of preheated oven.
• Bake until just barely set, 45 to 50 minutes. You can start checking for doneness at about 40 minutes.
• Using tongs, remove the ramekins from the casserole to a cooling rack. When just slightly warm, run a sharp paring knife around the edge of each custard.
• To unmold, cover ramekin with a small plate, then invert. Chill before serving.

Notes

Notes:
✔Crème fraiche can be found in the refrigerator section of supermarket. If you cant find crème fraiche, substitute it with whipping cream (not dream whip powder).
✔Ramekins are small ceramic dishes which can be used for baking as well as for serving. You can see the orange colored ramekins in my pictures. If you don’t have these use a round medium sized cake baking dish and use a larger casserole for the water bath. The baking pan must be coated well with caramel sauce and pour the entire custard mixture into it.
✔You can know that your custard is done when you find that it is set on the sides but a little wobbly in the centre.