Hello friends,
Imagine tucking into a sugary delight that looks like edible silk and tastes like world's most decadent cream. Imagine a desert bathed in dark amber caramel, which can make you salivate by simply looking at it. Imagine a desert that is made of only three ingredients and is ridiculously easy to prepare, but is full of drama.
Yes, I am talking about caramel custard or caramel pudding or flan!
There are so many different names and so many different variations of the beautiful desert that looks as well as tastes like a piece of heaven.
And I will teach you the foolproof method of preparing the famous desert so that you get it right every time.
See the beautiful toffee coloured top and the dark caramel around. That is what I am talking about :)
Ingredients:
500 ml milk
3 eggs
50 grams of sugar
3 to 4 tablespoon of sugar for making caramel (I always make more for I love to bathe my pudding with caramel)
1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla essence (this time I used almost one teaspoon and the result was quite good as the flavour of vanilla came out really well)
Preparation:
First, prepare your caramel. Place a heavy bottomed sauce-pan on high heat along with four or five tablespoon of sugar. Make sure the sugar is placed in an even layer in the pan.
Wait patiently (without stirring) for around four to five minutes or until the sugar starts to melt from the sides. When it does, swirl the pan (again, DON'T stir), so that the caramel is cooked evenly. Keep swirling it and you can see the magic happening in front of your eyes as the sugar starts melting, giving way to the rich, deep, caramel. At this point, don't leave your hold on the pan-handle for your life because it will take about 3 seconds for the caramel to burn.
So just keep on swirling the caramel and sometimes remove it from the heat, but again, keep on moving the liquid so that it doesn't stay in touch with the overheated bottom of the pan for more than a few seconds at a time.
Soon the entire sugar will melt and there will be tiny bubbles in the liquid and your caramel is done.
Your eyes and your nose should be your guide to make the caramel for as I said, it is risky to make caramel without water, but where is the fun in that! I, for one, love to live dangerously.
So, a strict and resounding 'NO' to adding water to my sugar.
Also, I don't like the washed up colour of the caramel made with sugar and water. However, if you would rather not take the risk you can (read don't ever) add a couple of teaspoons of water to your sugar for the caramelisation. Totally your choice (don't do it, don't do it, don't do it!).
Now that you have made the caramel, pour it immediately into your glass baking dish (a regular cake tin won't do) or ramekins if you have them around (what kind of people have ramekins lying about at their home!). Make sure the entire bottom is coated with the caramel.
Cool it until the caramel becomes hard.
Now, to make the custard break three eggs in a large bowl. Add the vanilla essence to it and mix them gently. Don't beat them vigorously for we don't want bubbles forming. It is not a cake people, it is a custard and you don't want bubbles in your custard for it will be holey (I hope nobody likes a holey custard).
Bring the milk to a boil and let simmer for a few minutes. It will thicken up the milk a tad bit. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. For some weird reason the recipes I have read on caramel custard always suggest mixing the sugar with the egg. I am sure there must be an explanation, but it is beyond me. I find it much easier to melt it in my milk.
Take the milk off the heat and wait for a couple of minutes so that it is not boiling hot, but still pretty warm. Now pour the milk into the egg mixture with one hand and stir with a whisk (what did I say people, about the magic utensil?) with the other one. If you end up with scrambled egg then:
1) Don't blame me.
2) You have excellent scrambled egg (I mean you must look at the bright side) and so just add salt and pepper and have it with bread.
Wait, I am just kidding!
It won't become scrambled. I mean, have some faith please! Trust in yourself and in your whisk (magic utensil man).
So all kiddings aside, stir the entire mixture until the milk is thoroughly incorporated into the eggs and let it cool.
Only when it has cooled down, strain and pour it into your baking dish which has already been layered with crystalised caramel at the bottom.
Now preheat your oven to 180 degree Celsius and pour hot water into your baking tray. Place the baking dish carefully into it and bake for around 40 minutes. your baking time will totally depend on how thick your custard is (mine was around 1 inch). It is better to err on the side of caution. After forty minutes, open your convection and give your baking dish a little shake. If it is liquid in the middle, it will be pretty obvious. The custard will still wiggle a bit if it is done, but it will be a different kind of wiggle. Still, if you want to be extra sure, just pierce it with a knife in the middle and if it comes out clean, your custard is done, if not, it goes back into the oven for another five minutes or ten depending on how underdone it is. If you see a dark film forming on top, don't panic, for you can remove it easily after you take it out of the oven.
After it comes out of your oven, let it rest on a wire rack for at least ten to fifteen minutes before demoulding. Traditionally it is done after chilling the custard, but I have never dared to do it lest it sticks to the bottom or something. It is probably a groundless fear, but well, I just do it this way and it works for me.
So, demould it from the sides using a sharp knife. Place a plate on top of the baking dish (use gloves or a thick towel while handling it for it is still pretty hot) and reverse it in one quick motion.
And pray...
Now slowly, ever so slowly, pull your baking dish up. so that the pudding remains on the plate and the caramel gathers all around it.
I wish I could show you a video for it is SUCH a glorious sight!
Now place it in the refrigerator for an hour or until thoroughly chilled. cut into pieces and serve chilled, spooning a little bit of liquid caramel on top.
Tuck in :)
PS: If you like my blog please recommend it on Google by clicking the link below...
Imagine tucking into a sugary delight that looks like edible silk and tastes like world's most decadent cream. Imagine a desert bathed in dark amber caramel, which can make you salivate by simply looking at it. Imagine a desert that is made of only three ingredients and is ridiculously easy to prepare, but is full of drama.
Yes, I am talking about caramel custard or caramel pudding or flan!
There are so many different names and so many different variations of the beautiful desert that looks as well as tastes like a piece of heaven.
And I will teach you the foolproof method of preparing the famous desert so that you get it right every time.
See the beautiful toffee coloured top and the dark caramel around. That is what I am talking about :)
Ingredients:
500 ml milk
3 eggs
50 grams of sugar
3 to 4 tablespoon of sugar for making caramel (I always make more for I love to bathe my pudding with caramel)
1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla essence (this time I used almost one teaspoon and the result was quite good as the flavour of vanilla came out really well)
Preparation:
First, prepare your caramel. Place a heavy bottomed sauce-pan on high heat along with four or five tablespoon of sugar. Make sure the sugar is placed in an even layer in the pan.
Wait patiently (without stirring) for around four to five minutes or until the sugar starts to melt from the sides. When it does, swirl the pan (again, DON'T stir), so that the caramel is cooked evenly. Keep swirling it and you can see the magic happening in front of your eyes as the sugar starts melting, giving way to the rich, deep, caramel. At this point, don't leave your hold on the pan-handle for your life because it will take about 3 seconds for the caramel to burn.
So just keep on swirling the caramel and sometimes remove it from the heat, but again, keep on moving the liquid so that it doesn't stay in touch with the overheated bottom of the pan for more than a few seconds at a time.
Soon the entire sugar will melt and there will be tiny bubbles in the liquid and your caramel is done.
Your eyes and your nose should be your guide to make the caramel for as I said, it is risky to make caramel without water, but where is the fun in that! I, for one, love to live dangerously.
So, a strict and resounding 'NO' to adding water to my sugar.
Also, I don't like the washed up colour of the caramel made with sugar and water. However, if you would rather not take the risk you can (read don't ever) add a couple of teaspoons of water to your sugar for the caramelisation. Totally your choice (don't do it, don't do it, don't do it!).
Now that you have made the caramel, pour it immediately into your glass baking dish (a regular cake tin won't do) or ramekins if you have them around (what kind of people have ramekins lying about at their home!). Make sure the entire bottom is coated with the caramel.
Cool it until the caramel becomes hard.
Now, to make the custard break three eggs in a large bowl. Add the vanilla essence to it and mix them gently. Don't beat them vigorously for we don't want bubbles forming. It is not a cake people, it is a custard and you don't want bubbles in your custard for it will be holey (I hope nobody likes a holey custard).
Bring the milk to a boil and let simmer for a few minutes. It will thicken up the milk a tad bit. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. For some weird reason the recipes I have read on caramel custard always suggest mixing the sugar with the egg. I am sure there must be an explanation, but it is beyond me. I find it much easier to melt it in my milk.
Take the milk off the heat and wait for a couple of minutes so that it is not boiling hot, but still pretty warm. Now pour the milk into the egg mixture with one hand and stir with a whisk (what did I say people, about the magic utensil?) with the other one. If you end up with scrambled egg then:
1) Don't blame me.
2) You have excellent scrambled egg (I mean you must look at the bright side) and so just add salt and pepper and have it with bread.
Wait, I am just kidding!
It won't become scrambled. I mean, have some faith please! Trust in yourself and in your whisk (magic utensil man).
So all kiddings aside, stir the entire mixture until the milk is thoroughly incorporated into the eggs and let it cool.
Only when it has cooled down, strain and pour it into your baking dish which has already been layered with crystalised caramel at the bottom.
Now preheat your oven to 180 degree Celsius and pour hot water into your baking tray. Place the baking dish carefully into it and bake for around 40 minutes. your baking time will totally depend on how thick your custard is (mine was around 1 inch). It is better to err on the side of caution. After forty minutes, open your convection and give your baking dish a little shake. If it is liquid in the middle, it will be pretty obvious. The custard will still wiggle a bit if it is done, but it will be a different kind of wiggle. Still, if you want to be extra sure, just pierce it with a knife in the middle and if it comes out clean, your custard is done, if not, it goes back into the oven for another five minutes or ten depending on how underdone it is. If you see a dark film forming on top, don't panic, for you can remove it easily after you take it out of the oven.
After it comes out of your oven, let it rest on a wire rack for at least ten to fifteen minutes before demoulding. Traditionally it is done after chilling the custard, but I have never dared to do it lest it sticks to the bottom or something. It is probably a groundless fear, but well, I just do it this way and it works for me.
So, demould it from the sides using a sharp knife. Place a plate on top of the baking dish (use gloves or a thick towel while handling it for it is still pretty hot) and reverse it in one quick motion.
And pray...
Now slowly, ever so slowly, pull your baking dish up. so that the pudding remains on the plate and the caramel gathers all around it.
I wish I could show you a video for it is SUCH a glorious sight!
Now place it in the refrigerator for an hour or until thoroughly chilled. cut into pieces and serve chilled, spooning a little bit of liquid caramel on top.
Tuck in :)
PS: If you like my blog please recommend it on Google by clicking the link below...
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