I never thought I would actually get around to making crème caramel some day. I love crème caramel, but just the thought of having to bake it in a water bath made me go "nah, too much work". That's how lazy I am.
But yesterday I found myself in the situation of planning dinner for guests the same night and needing a dessert that wasn't cakey or chocolatey. Dinner was going to be roast chicken with vegetable and red wine risotto. Wanting something light, I searched through my cookbooks for something lemony, but couldn't find anything that sounded good. While searching I stumbled upon Carole Bloom's "Crème Caramel" in her book The Essential Baker and put myself up for the challenge.
The result was heavenly, divine, exquisite. Never underestimate the power of vanilla freshly scraped from the pod! And it turns out the whole water bath thing isn't too bad after all. Getting the caramel just right was worse.
Recipe
8 1/2 cup servings
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c water
2 tbsp. water
21/2 c milk
1 vanilla bean
3 eggs, at room temp
3 egg yolks, at room temp
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 quart (1 liter) boiling water
Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350°F (177°C).
Caramel
Combine sugar and water in 1-quart saucepan over med-high heat. Bring mixture to boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Cook the mixture, without stirring, until it turns a rich golden brown, about 8 minutes.
Remove pan from heat and stir in the 2 tbsp. water. Be careful because water may bubble and foam up. Return pan to heat and stir with wooden spoon or heat-resistant spatula to dissolve any lumps.
Divide caramel evenly between oven-proof 1/2 c custard cups. Tilt and rotate so the caramel covers bottom of cups fully. Place cups in 3-quart baking dish or roasting pan.
Custard
Place milk in 2-quart saucepan. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds into milk. Add the pod to the milk. Warm the milk over med heat to the point when tiny bubbles become visible at the edges. Remove from heat and let the milk infuse.
Place the eggs and egg yolks in a bowl and whisk until frothy.
With the mixer on med speed, slowly sprinkle on sugar. In a steady stream, pour in warm milk and mix thoroughly.
Strain the custard into a measuring cup and remove the vanilla bean. Pour custard into the cups, dividing evenly.
Place the pan with the cups on the oven rack. Carefully pour boiling water into baking dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cups. Reduce oven temp to 325°F (163°C).
Bake for 40 min until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out slightly moist and the center jiggles slightly when the pan is moved.
Remove the pan from the oven and transfer cups to a rack to cool completely.
To unmold the custards, run a thin-bladed knife around the edges of the custard cups. Place a serving plate over the top of the cup and invert custard onto plate.
Serve the custards immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
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