Crème caramel is a French dessert with a custard base and caramel filling. It is easy to make and popular worldwide, with variations such as flan in Latin America and creme renversée in Italy. The dessert is typically served cold and can be flavored with vanilla or other extracts. To make it, scald two cups of milk, whisk four eggs with one cup of sugar, add the milk, and flavor as desired. Dissolve one cup of sugar in one tablespoon of lemon juice, pour into ramekins, and add the custard base. Bake in a double boiler at 350°F for 30-40 minutes, chill, and serve.
Crème caramel is a French dessert with a simple custard base and a soft caramel filling, related to creme brulee except that the dessert is not baked before serving to create a hard sugar crust. A number of nations make variations on the creme caramel and the dish is hugely popular. Served cold, crème caramel is an excellent dish to accompany a heavy or hot meal, as it cools and soothes the stomach. It’s also remarkably easy to make, requiring a few simple tools and ingredients.
In much of the Latin American world, creme caramel is known as flan. Flans are often flavored with assorted things and can be baked with heavy cream for a more intense flavor. In Italy, the same dish is called creme caramel, and is sometimes known as crème renversée in French, a reference to the fact that the dish is inverted when served.
Usually, custard is baked in individual ramekins, with a layer of caramel at the bottom and a custard on top. When the creme caramel is served, the ramekin is inverted onto a plate and can be garnished with mint, chocolate chips, another sauce, or anything else the cook can dream up. Typically, the dessert is vanilla flavored, although other flavors could certainly be used as well, including caramel for a double dose of creme caramel on the plate.
To make the creme caramel, start by heating two cups of milk until it’s scalded, but not hot yet. While the milk is heating up, whisk four eggs together with one cup of sugar until the batter is pale. Slowly add the milk to the dough, allow it to cool to room temperature, sift it and set aside, ideally under refrigeration. The base can be flavored with vanilla seeds cooked in milk or with the addition of aromatic extracts.
Once the custard base has been made, dissolve one cup of the sugar in one tablespoon of the lemon juice, using a heavy saucepan, until the mixture is golden brown. Immediately turn it into copper or custard ramekins and allow to cool before adding the custard base. Place the ramekins in a double boiler, which will help prevent cracking, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius) for 30 to 40 minutes, until the custard jiggles slightly when bumped. Allow the ramekins to cool before placing them in the fridge and serve chilled with a side dish of your choice.
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