Crème Caramel

This dessert is very popular in Europe and the Middle East alike, when you make it you will know why. its super easy but tastes amazing.

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup sugar + 3 Tablespoons sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons water
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 11/2 Cup whole milk
  • 11/2 Cup heavy cream or half and half
  • 1 vanilla pod (optional but highly recommended)
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract 
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • An 8 inch custard ramekin
  • 1 quart Souffle dish or ramekin

Directions

  1. Place the 1 cup sugar in a medium size heavy skillet with the water. Make sure all the sugar is moistened by the water and cook on medium high heat till the sugar is caramelized and turns into a nice deep copper color, about 6 minutes.
  2. Pour the caramel immediately into the Souffle dish and make sure the caramel fully covers the base of the dish.
  3. Place the dish in a larger oven safe baking pan for bain-marie.
  4. Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C.
  5. Place the milk and heavy cream in a medium size pot on low heat.
  6. Run a knife through the length of the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds off of the pod and place the seeds and the pod in the milk mixture and increase heat to medium.
  7. Let milk heat up till right before boiling and then remove pot off heat and set aside.
  8. Place the eggs and yolk in a medium size bowl with the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and mix well using a whisk but make sure no bubbles are formed.
  9. Remove the pod from the milk using a spoon.
  10. Slowly add the hot milk to the eggs while mixing the eggs so that the eggs do not curdle. 
  11. Add the vanilla extract to the milk egg (custard) mixture.
  12. Pour the custard inside the ramekin dish using a fine sieve.
  13. Add the zest to the custard inside the Souffle dish.
  14. pour hot water between the Souffle dish and the larger baking dish as to create a bain-marie.
  15. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour.
  16. Take the custard out of the oven and then out of the larger baking dish and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
  17. Place dish in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.
  18. Run a spatula or a flat knife around the edges of the Souffle dish and invert the dish on a larger serving dish, enjoy!
DessertsRola Jordan