Because we never really have the time (or the energy) to read beyond the front page of blogs, I will, from time to time, reblog some of the posts I like the most from My French Heaven archives.
This kind of traditional French dessert takes only a few minutes to make. You cannot mess this up! This is also the kind of comfort food that creates lifelong memories for kids (like warm cookies or fresh madeleines). They will tell their own kids about how eating crème caramel reminds them of their mom, home, sunday dinners… It’s super cheap too.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 sticks of vanilla (or vanilla extract, but it’s really nice to have the little black dots inside the finished product. Looks and feels home-made)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 cups of milk (2% or whole)
Steps:
1. Batter eggs and 5 table-spoons of sugar until mixture gets whiter
2. Make caramel with sugar left (caramel is the easiest thing to make. Just add 4 table-spoons of water to a pound of sugar; but be super careful: first it gets extremely hot, second it turns really dark really fast so keep an eye on it at all times. Your caramel should be the exact color as in my pictures. Too light and it won’t taste like caramel. Too dark and it gets really bitter)
3. Cover the floor of a cake pan with the caramel while it is still in its liquid form. Be careful as caramel hardens really really fast. Make sure the cake pan is made of a glass or glass like material that will withstand extreme heat. Caramel is around 180°C!!
4. Boil milk with vanilla and salt
5. Add milk to egg batter while stirring constantly. You don’t want the hot milk to cook the eggs
6. Pour mixture into pan
7. Put in bain-marie in the oven at 180°C (360°F) for 30mn (center should not be liquid anymore and giggle a little). Water of bain-marie should come two third up the pan. You can also use a pressure cooker. In that case, cover the pan with foil and put a plate on top so the steam does not get into the pan. Reduce the flame and cook 9 to 10 minutes after steam comes out off the valve ).
Serve ice-cold!!
MY FRENCH HEAVEN 
I can’t wait to try this! I have happy memories of stopping off at a tiny wee tearoom in Perthshire when I was a little girl for fresh creme caramel. I’ve only ever come across recipes that require massive amounts of cream but your ones look lovely and light. I think I will make them as a Christmas surprise for my mother – she is no. 1 creme caramel fan.
There are very light indeed! Let me know how your mom likes them:0)
my partner is going to be the happiest man when I make this – thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad! Tell me how it was!!!
simple mais excellent. Au fait, quelle est la mesure exacte d’une tasse, cela apparaît souvent dans les recettes publiées en anglais ?
Une tasse c’est environ 250ml. Le mieux est de retrouver un version Française de la recette sur internet. Cette recette est standard et facile…
ok merci. Pour certaines recettes c’est très important que cela soit précis pour d’autres moins, bonne journée 🙂
Delicious!
Looks just awesome!
Thank you!!!
Add a little white bread and milk to the eggs if you like Creme Caramel with a little more bite. Lovely photographs bringing back lovely memories. One of my favorite childhood desserts.
Good idea!
J’adore l’idée des gousses de vanille pour le caramel! La crème caramel est un classique chez nous et c’est certain que je vais essayer cette petite astuce.
Tu m’en dira des nouvelles!!
mmm Yum !, looks so tasty 🙂
It really is like silk in your mouth:0)
I must make it then, thanks for sharing 🙂
I absolutely love custard dessert and this looks so amazing!!!
You should try it! I like it much better than crème brulée. It is like silk on your tongue:0)
I worked in a restaurant with a brilliant pastry chef for a few years, and the creme caramel is one of my fondest memories from that time. I’m intimidated about making the caramel, but I should really give it a try sometime.
Thanks for your comment Laura. You can also buy the caramel. But try to make it yourself. Once you master the technique, you will be able to create or follow so many great recipes…:0)
What a gorgeously beautiful dessert. I adore these, but have yet to make them. I’m thinking I need to begin, no?
You should! Thanks for visiting my blog!
W-o-W I gotta make this.. I’ve always loved caramel custard and this is just reminding me of how much I want to eat some right away 🙂
They remind me of my childhood. In restaurants in France when I was a kid it was always on the menu. Know they’ve all replaced it with creme brulée which I don’t like as much…
I need to try this ! How much is a pound in french ?
Environ 500g :0)
Oh wow, I love this – so pretty and very impressive.
Wow that looks so good!