crème caramel

Today is the 14th July and I am trying very hard to conjure the one dish which embodies French homemade food. I grew up in a multicultural environment so I remember much more the colourful Moroccan family reunions than the rather subdued French ones.

My mum never cooked, she was on an eternal diet, my dad did, though, but only at the weekends as he spent the weekdays away from home. So if I had to name the dish that represents France for me, I would have to dig in the food I used to love and one of these was the crème caramel pots found in supermarkets 

In these days, I may not have put it so eloquently but there is something very sensual about the creamy soft filling and its runny caramel top. The crème caramel of my childhood was of course not home made but it had several elements of fun. 

       Its name to start with. He still talks about camarel, the way I used to when I was a child and I never told him it was wrong.

       Then to free the runny caramel the pot had to be turned upside down,  a tab lifted to create an air bubble and tap, tap on the top of the pot.  

What I discovered later in life is that crème caramel is very easy to make, it contains only 4 ingredients sugar, milk, vanilla and egg yolks, you just need to follow the steps.
                                       Classic crème caramel
Warm the ramekins first and tackle the caramel in a clean saucepan, emphasis on clean. Sugar work is fussy that way.

Ingredients for the creme 

• 500ml milk
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  

  
• 3 large eggs , plus 2 egg yolks
• 100g caster sugar
• a few drops vanilla  extract or 1/2 tsp of vanilla seeds

For the caramel

• 140g caster sugar
• 3 tbsp cold water
• Method
• place 4 empty ramekins in oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
• Make the caramel first by stirring gently the sugar and the water in a saucepan on the hob until the sugar dissolves completely. Now is the fun bit, crank up the it and stop stirring the syrup will bubble and start changing colour, don't stir. When the rim start to colour and the edges turn golden, remove from the heat and wiggle the pan so that the colour becomes even. Pour in the ramekins, place the ramekin in a oven tray, add boiling water to the tray so that it cover the bottom, back in the oven
• Then for the custard. simmer the milk. Put the eggs and the yolks in a bowl with the sugar, whisk. Add to the milk gradually whisking all the time. Add the vanilla and when it's all mixed nicely.
• Pour in the ramekins, add some boiling water to the pan and bake for 20 minutes until the custards are just set. Leave it to cool. Chill 4 hours or overnight. They will keep for 3days in the fridge.
• To serve, run a sharp nice around the ramekin, put a plate on the top, turn the lot upside down and tap on the top, remove the ramekin carefully.
• Note that to go faster, I make the custard, cook it and then pour the caramel on the top as seen on the picture
• As this post contains so much of my childhood, I share is with #inheritancerecipes hosted this month by the lovely Coffee & Vanilla
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