Caramel Custard
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- about 3/4 to 1 cup of granulated sugar (for melting to caramel)
- 5 cups milk, scalded
- 5 beaten eggs
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg (optional; I just love nutmeg with milk)
Preparation:
Melt 3/4 cup of sugar in a small heavy skillet, stirring constantly, until a caramel syrup forms. I like mine a little burnt so wait till it's a dark caramel. The next step is to pour the caramel immediately into a glass baking dish. It's important (for me) to be able to coat the entire underside of the dish.
Meanwhile, heat up your milk in a pan till it's nearly come up to a boil (scalding). Beat your eggs in a bowl and add the 1/4 cup of sugar. Pour in a cup of the scalded milk and stir quickly (don't quite beat it) together. Pour in remaining milk and add vanilla and nutmeg( this tends to float up to the top so you can skip it) and mix properly.
Set the glass baking dish in a bigger pan. Pour the custard mix into the smaller baking dish and place in the oven at gas mark 5. Once the custard is place safely in the oven (and you haven't spilled any hopefully) pour hot water into the larger baking pan to a depth of one(1) inch. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.
So, I've been getting back in the kitchen and redoing the basics. Of late, I've been making things like chocolate cake with a coffee-cream filling and coated with a chocolate butter frosting. Methinks stuff like that is too complicated for the average diner and with so many flavours, it's difficult to truly appreciate a dish. I think it's time to go back to the clean and simple stuff. This caramel custard for instance is a wonderful palate cleanser. I like to serve this after a spicy meal to get the heat out of my guests mouths (yes, I tend to like my food hot and spicy). Anywho, from time to time, when I get the chance to enter the kitchen, I'll present my successes and failures. Maybe some seasoned vets will offer some advice :)
Oh and for those of you who don't want to risk breaking the custard when you turn it over, you could use small cups or ramekins. You could also, instead of baking in the oven, pour the custard into a cake tin with a cover, seal it tight and place it in a pan of hot water on the stove. Cover the outer pan and let it steam for about the same time.
~Daixy~
PS. Yes, I know I do it a bit different from the norm. But this works for me so far.
Oh and for those of you who don't want to risk breaking the custard when you turn it over, you could use small cups or ramekins. You could also, instead of baking in the oven, pour the custard into a cake tin with a cover, seal it tight and place it in a pan of hot water on the stove. Cover the outer pan and let it steam for about the same time.
~Daixy~
PS. Yes, I know I do it a bit different from the norm. But this works for me so far.
