crème caramel

custard is a liquid thickened with the coagulation of protein from eggs. whether you make crème anglaise, pastry cream, crème brulèe or pot du crème; whether you bake it or make it on the stovetop; whether you serve it warm or cold, the concept is the same. the wonderful thing about custards is the possibilities are endless. you can infuse the liquid you’re heating with vanilla, coffee, peppers, tea, spices, flowers or chocolate–to name a few. you can use custard as a base for ice cream or gelato. depending on whether you use milk or heavy cream, and whether you decide to thicken your custard through the aid of a starch or gelatin, the consistency of the final product and its applications will change.

as Chef Kim puts it, “i have a hard time determining the right adjective for each type of custard. the best word i have come up with to describe crème caramel–since it’s a cold custard of milk, sugar and whole eggs–is that it has a more rubbery consistency,” she said. “crème brulèe, because it is made with heavy cream and egg yolks instead of milk and whole eggs, is more tender.”

crème caramel

yield: 12 5 oz. servings

caramel

12 oz. sugar
2 oz. water
2 drops lemon juice

custard

1 lb. eggs
8 oz. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 oz. vanilla extract
2 lb. 8 oz. milk (2 1/2 pt.)

preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, cook 12 oz. sugar with 2 oz. water and a few drops of lemon juice. note: the only role of the acid here is to prevent the sugar from crystallizing. so you shouldn’t add enough to taste it. don’t stir the sugar, and wash the sides of the pan frequently for the first few minutes of cooking with a wet paper towel to prevent the sugar from crystallizing and burning near the edges. the sugar will start to turn amber after all the moisture bubbles out of it. the process goes quickly from here, so don’t walk away from your pan!

line the bottoms of clean, dry custard cups with the hot caramel. again, move quickly so the caramel doesn’t have time to harden.

to make your custard, mix together the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla in a bowl until thoroughly blended.

scald the milk in a saucepan over low heat. gradually pour the milk into the egg mixture, stirring constantly. now pour the custard into the caramel-lined cups, filling it about 2/3 of the way.

arrange the cups in a shallow baking pan. place the pan on the oven rack, and pour enough hot water into the pan around the cups so the level of water reaches about a third of the way up the custard cups. bake the custard until set, or until “it jiggles stiffly,” Chef Kim says. this should take about 45 minutes. remove the custard from the oven and cool. make sure when you serve this that you overturn it in front of your guest, for maximum praise at your lovely work. store, covered, in the refrigerator up to seven days.