Life has been sort of crazy lately. Work is piling up faster than I can get through it and I'm trying to get the house ready for guests (my cousin and his wife are coming from Athens!) We won't even get into the state of the garden. But I did take a moment to catch up on my 2011 Baking Project and make Caramel Pots de Creme (my first-ever PdC!) It was a nice (and tasty) break.
The ingredients were pretty basic. That's a jar of vanilla beans to the left.
My kitchen is pretty well-equipped but I am definitely ramekin deprived! I made do with four small bowls I know are oven safe and two that I hoped were (they ended up working fine).
Caramelizing the sugar was an interesting process. You just put the sugar in a pan over medium heat and wait...
...and wait...
...and wait...
...and then panic slightly when you realize one spot is getting too much heat and is liable to burn. But it turned out okay:
Vanilla bean and seeds steeping in milk and cream:
It smelled so good when I added the vanilla-cream mixture to the caramelized sugar! Unfortunately the recipe didn't mention that the caramel would seize up when you added the liquid. You can just barely see in the picture a lump of hardened caramel trapped inside the whisk. But as the mixture heated up--and with a fair amount of stirring and scraping--all the caramelized sugar dissolved.
It all worked out in the end.
I think I've separated more eggs this year than I have in my entire life. I'm planning on making meringues with those extra whites.
Egg yolks, sugar, and salt:
Whisked until pale and light:
And then whisked some more as the vanilla mixture is slowly added:
After skimming the froth from the mixture, I strained it through a sieve into a measuring cup:
At first I debated the point of straining (I'd already removed the vanilla bean by hand) but then I decided to be good and follow directions. The sieve did catch a few lumps and I think it made a difference to the final product.
Almost ready to go into the oven:
After adding some hot water to the pan I covered the while thing in tin foil. Anyone else have a sudden craving for Jiffy Pop?
Finally out of the oven (the recipe time was way off) and cooling on a rack:
Ready to go into the fridge. I was excited to use the lids that came with those ugly yellow bowls. Until I realized the lids didn't stay on too well. Plastic wrap it is!
The final product, accessorized with a nasturtium blossom from my garden:
Caramel Pots de Crème
Makes 6
[My notes/changes in brackets]
- 3/4 cup [granulated] sugar
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream [I ended up using table cream, 18% mf]
- 1 cup [whole] milk
- 1 vanilla bean, split
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Place 1/2 cup sugar in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, without stirring, until sugar has caramelized and is golden brown, about 3 minutes [or in my case, closer to 15 minutes]. Swirl pan, dissolving unmelted sugar; reduce heat to low.
Slowly and carefully whisk in the milk and 1 cup cream. [Caramel will seize up and harden at this point.] Scrape the vanilla seeds into the pan and add the pod. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil [Stir and scrape bottom of pan to dissolve hardened caramel]; remove the pan from heat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining 1/4 cup sugar, egg yolks, and salt; continue whisking until pale yellow in color. Slowly add the hot cream mixture to the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour this new mixture through a fine sieve set over a large liquid measuring cup; discard vanilla pod.
Using a tablespoon or a small ladle, skim the surface to remove any visible air bubbles. Pour approximately 1/2 cup liquid into each ramekin [I'd say it's actually closer to 1/3 cup]. Fill roasting pan with hot water to within 1 inch of ramekin tops. Cover roasting pan with foil, and poke small holes in two opposite corners for vents.
Carefully place pan on center oven rack; bake until just set, about 35 minutes [Again, it took a lot longer for me, about an hour. Not sure if it was the dishes I used or the recipe directions that were at fault]. Remove foil; transfer ramekins to a wire rack to cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
When ready to serve, place the remaining 1/2 cup cream in a chilled mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip cream until soft peaks form. Add a dollop of whipped cream to each serving. [I skipped this part. These things are rich enough!]
Original recipe here.
My Verdict
The recipe was frustrating to use and the effort was a little fussy for what basically amounts to pudding. But it's a super smooth, rich and creamy pudding with a delicate flavour. If this sounds like the kind of dessert you like then these are for you! I'll definitely make pots de creme again, although probably not these particular ones. The idea of adding chocolate to the mix is definitely tempting. And with some nicer ramekins these would be a great special (make ahead) dessert for company.
March: Chewy Chocolate-Gingerbread Cookies
May: Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake
June: Homemade Cake Doughnuts
June 2: Espresso Granita
July: Honey-Lavender Ice Cream
Photos by Whimsy Bower
[Edited to update title, and for formatting. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com]
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