Crème Caramel | Caramel Custard Recipe | Flan Recipe | Kitchenstagram
Crème Caramel, also known as caramel custard, flan or caramel pudding, is a globally beloved dessert. This French delicacy is known for its silky, smooth, creamy texture and delightful caramel flavour, subtly balanced with a hint of caramelized bitterness. Made from simple ingredients like milk, sugar, eggs and vanilla, it’s a dessert that’s easy to prepare yet impressively elegant. The custard is topped with a layer of clear caramel sauce, adding a sweet, rich finish. Crème Caramel is perfect for parties, gatherings and potlucks, offering a classic treat that is both comforting and sophisticated.
What is Crème Caramel?
Crème Caramels is a popular dessert consisting of a smooth, creamy custard topped with a layer of caramelized sugar. The “Crème” refers to the custard base, while the caramel is a sweet, rich topping that forms a syrupy layer when inverted onto a plate. This dish is traditionally baked in ramekins, with the caramel layer on the bottom, allowing the custard to absorb its flavour during cooking.
Originating from France, Crème caramel is a classic French dessert enjoyed worldwide. It is also known as “flan” in many Latin American countries, a name brought over by Spanish influence. The key distinction between Crème caramel and flan often lies in regional variations and preparation methods, although both share the same delightful combination of custard and caramel.
Tips for making perfect Caramel:
Making smooth, silky caramel custard can be tricky, especially when it comes to perfecting the caramel. Here are some tips to get it just right:
Choose the right Pan: Opt for a light coloured, heavy-bottomed pan to ensure even heat distribution.
High Heat start: Begin with high heat to melt the sugar around the edges, but avoid stirring.
Stirring the Caramel: Gently swirl the pan to help the sugar melt uniformly. DO NOT stir the caramel. Stirring can lead to crystallization.
Control the flame: As the sugar starts to darken, lower the heat to prevent burning.
Act Quickly: Once the caramel reaches the desired colour, promptly pour it into your molds to set.
Tips for making Crème Caramel:
Smooth Caramel Layer: Ensure caramel layer is smooth in the baking dish. Avoid moving the caramel while it hardens to prevent uneven surfaces, which can lead to cracks in the final custard.
Room-Temperature Ingredients: Ensure smooth caramel custard by using room-temperature ingredients. This helps in achieving an even texture.
Tempering Eggs: To avoid scrambled eggs, combine the warm milk mixture with the eggs gradually, tempering them. Then strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove lumps before baking.
Water Bath or Bain-Marie: Bain-Marie is a French technique. This technique gently warms the custard, preventing it from turning into scrambled eggs. Place ramekins in a pan of hot water, ensuring the water reaches halfway up the sides. This gentle baking method is ideal for delicate desserts like cheesecakes and custards.
Baking indicator: The custard is properly set if it has a slight jiggle when shaken. This indicates the perfect texture.
Unmolding: To unmold the custard, dip the mold in hot water to melt the caramel. Gently ease the sides with a knife or your finger. Place a serving plate over the ramekin, invert and gently flip. If the custard doesn’t release, gently shake to release the custard and allow the custard to drop onto the plate.
Ingredients needed for Crème Caramel:
To create a delicious custard, a few key ingredients play crucial roles,
Milk: Whole milk is ideal for a creamy texture without the heaviness of cream. Using milk with lower fat content, like 2% or skim, can result in a thinner custard.
Sugar: A portion of sugar is used to slightly sweeten custard, while the rest is melted into a golden caramel, adding a rich, flavourful layer.
Salt: A pinch of salt is added to enhance the flavours, but it should be used sparingly to prevent it from over powering the desserts sweetness.6+6
Eggs: Eggs contribute to the custard’s richness, differentiating it from lighter, milk-based puddings. It’s best to use room-temperature eggs for a smoother blend and checking their freshness beforehand ensures quality.
Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract enhances the custard’s flavour by balancing the caramel’s sweetness. It’s important to use genuine vanilla extract to achieve the best taste.
Serving Suggestions:
Crème Caramel can be enjoyed warm or chilled. For a simple presentation, serve it directly from the cup. To showcase the caramel sauce, flip it onto a plate. Enhance the flavour with a touch of sea salt or a hint of citrus zest. It also complements fresh fruits like passion fruit, blueberries, raspberries or pineapple for a refreshing touch. Crème Caramel pairs well with a dollop of whipped cream or Ice cream.
Storage Tips:
To keep your Crème Caramel fresh, always refrigerate it due to its dairy content. It should be kept at or below 40°F and not left out for more than one hour. For best result store it covered with an airtight lid or plastic wrap pressed against the surface to avoid skin formation. If moisture collects, gently pat in dry with a paper towel. Properly stored, caramel custard remains tasty in the fridge for up to 4 days and is delightful when served chilled.
Ingredients
For the Caramel:
100 gm Sugar
3 tbsp Water
For the Custard:
400 ml Whole Milk
2 Whole Eggs
2 Egg Yolks
75 gm Sugar
Pinch of Salt
1 tsp Vanilla Essence or extract
Preparation
Make the Caramel:
- Step 1: In a heavy bottom saucepan, add sugar and water. Cook on medium-low heat without stirring,swirling occasionally and continue to boil until it turns amber colour. While sugar boils occasionally brush the sides of the pot with water, to keep sugar from crystallizing.
- Step 2: Working quickly, divide caramel between ramekins, swirling ramekins to coat bottoms evenly, set aside and let cool.
Make the Custard:
- Step 3: Preheat the oven to 300ºF (150ºC). In another saucepan, heat milk over medium heat until hot, but not boiling. In a mixing bowl roughly whisk together whole eggs and egg yolk and sugar.
- Step 4: Pour the warm milk in a thin, steady stream and mix well. Then whisk in vanilla and salt.
- Step 5: Then strain the custard base through a fine sieve to get rid of any lumps or air bubble and to get creamy and silky custard. Then divide the custard evenly among ramekins.
- Step 6: Transfer the ramekins in a large baking pan. Add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake @150ºC for 30-35 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the custard comes out clean.
- Step 7: With tongs, immediately but carefully remove the ramekins from the hot water and let them get to room temp for at least 3-4 hours. When room temperature, refrigerate at least 6-8 hours to overnight.
- Step 8: To unmould dip the ramekins gently into a bowl of hot water for 1 minute to loosen, then run a knife around the edges. Take a serving plate, invert it over the ramekin and gently flip. Gently lift the ramekin off, leaving the custard on the plate with the caramel as a sauce.
- Step 9: Serve & enjoy!!
About Me
DEBJANI MONDAL
Welcome to Kitchenstagram, the home of delicious recipes, culinary inspiration and cooking adventures. I’m Debjani and I’m thrilled to be your guide through the wonderful world of food. I’m a self-taught professional baker, home chef, recipe developer, author of Kitchenstagram and an aspiring YouTuber.
My passion for food and cooking began at a very young age, when I would watch my mom and dad cook for me and my brother. My dad, in particular is a great cook whose culinary skills made a lasting impression on me. My dad would cook up a storm on special occasions by cooking variety of dishes, from delicious biriyani to samosa, fish fry, rasgullas and kachoris (sweet & spicy deep fried pastry with filling of lentils, meat or fish…>>>>>
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