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Creme Caramel
Ingredients
- 1 souffle dish
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup sugar (altogether 1 cup)
- 1 vanilla bean, split (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
- 3 eggs
- 3 egg yolks
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350F.
- In a small thick-bottomed skillet (I use revere copperware) place 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tbsp water. Place on medium heat. Sugar will start melting. Do not stir, but you can swirl the pan to evenly distribute the water and the sugar. Let cook. It will bubble, then start getting color around the rim. Watch carefully and swirl the pan. You can sit with a wooden spoon occasionally. The caramel needs to turn dark caramel color, but it can also burn VERY easily. When the bubbles subside and the color is tan caramel take the pan off the heat and continue swirling. The cooking process will continue and the sugar will get darker still. When the color is right (caramel color, that is) pour into the souffle dish and swirl to coat the bottom and as much of the sides as you can. The caramel will harden. That's OK.
- In a mixer beat the eggs and yolks with 1/2 cup sugar until light and slightly thickened, roughly 4 minutes. Concurrently heat the milk and vanilla bean almost to the boiling point. Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while the mixer is still running on the lowest speed.
- Pour the mixture into the soufflé dish lined with the hardened caramel.
- Fill a firm foil lasagna pan halfway with boiling water. Put the soufflé dish in the center of the pan. Put in the oven and reduce heat immediately to 325F. Bake 45 minutes or until not too jiggly when jiggled (or clean toothpick). It is important that the soufflé mixture doesn't come to a boil. If it boils the cream will not be smooth.
- Remove from the oven and let rest and cool at room temperature. Refrigerate.
- When ready to serve run a knife along the edges, cover with a dish with high edges (like a glass pie dish) and turn over.
- I serve this with whipped cream, but then I serve everything with whipped cream.
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