I have made creme caramel exactly five times in my life…all of which took place over the course of a day. The first three batches looked something like this…
Not pleasant to look at. Didn’t taste all too bad though. Either way, it was a shot to my confidence. My baking emotional roller coaster can accurately be summed up with the five stages of loss and grief.
1) Denial: “It’s not that bad, it’s edible…kinda. I mean it’s like a creme brulee!…without the brulee.”
2) Anger: “This is stupid and such a waste of time! I’m just going to slather peanut butter on toast and post THAT instead!”*
3) Bargaining: “Ok, maybe if I pray to the baking Gods…they will help me through these troubling times.”
4) Depression: “…..I am not a baker, nothing works…..”
5) Acceptance: Never! This is where I stopped. Successfully making this dessert became more than creating something delicious, it became a matter of principle.
A dozen eggs, 1/2 gallon of heavy cream, 3 cups of milk, 2 cans of coconut milk and 7 cups of sugar later, I give you my take on a creme caramel. Making this dessert is by no means hard. It was just a matter of getting the ingredients in the right amounts. Now, that that is out of the way, I will walk you though this sexy dessert. Creme caramel is a velvety custard with a beautiful layer of caramel on top. For my recipe, I used coconut milk and jasmine extract to give this traditional French dessert a magnificently perfumed touch. This is my first successful baked dessert, please give this a try. If not for me then do it for all the eggs that died in vain.
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*Yeah, I wasn’t kidding. Recipe follows.
You will need a slice of bread and peanut butter (to taste):
Instructions:
- Put bread in toaster.
- Put peanut butter on toast.
- Put toast in mouth.
- 1/2 cup Coconut Milk
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tsp Jasmine Extract Add 1 tsp at a time, taste to your liking
- 3 whole Egg Yolk
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- In a pot over medium heat, melt the sugar. If you're using water then do not stir but swirl the pot as soon as the sides begin to melt. You may stir gently if you're melting the sugar without the water (dry method). Then pour enough caramel to coat the bottom of your ramekin.
- Use the sugar left over to make garnishes by spooning designs over parchment paper or non-stick mats.
- In a bowl, beat the egg yolks, sugar and salt until you are unable to feel the graininess from the sugar.
- Add the remaining ingredients and combine.
- Evenly fill your ramekins and place in a water bath (dish with hot water at least an inch up the sides of the ramekins). Bake for 40-45 minutes at 325 F (until the creme is set, it will still be a little jiggly).
- Allow the creme caramel to cool. To serve warm: separate the sides with a knife, flip over and give it a gentle tap. To serve cold: separate the sides with a knife, place the creme caramel in hot water for 10-15 seconds, flip over and tap.
Serving warm will yield more caramel and a lighter texture (I prefer cold though).
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