Creme caramel is a flan-like custard that includes a caramel sauce on the top. This super simple recipe looks hard but is very impressive.
We’ve been hooked on Netflix since the pandemic last March. Some series we’ve enjoyed include: The Queen’s Gambit, Ozark, Zumbo’s Just Desserts, Glow Up, and The Home Edit. One show that I never really got into was The Great British Baking Show. After watching a few episodes, I thought it was just OK.
I seem to have come around on the series because we’ve been enjoying it as a family. It’s fun to see what baked goods the contestants have to create next and to learn about new things I should try at home. One episode, the contestants had to create a creme caramel.
Because I hadn’t made it before, creme caramel moved to the top of my to-bake list. I was able to assemble them in about 20 minutes with no problems. Even though the instructions say otherwise, I think this recipe should make 4 servings rather than 6. It’s best to fill these up a bit higher because they tend to shrink and condense as they cool (resulting in a shorter flan).
I overcooked my caramel slightly, so it was on the bitter end. My advice is to cook the caramel to a medium amber color and then take it off the stove. It will continue to cook and darken once it’s off the heat.
Addie and I both enjoyed our caramels, and my husband gave mixed reactions. He said it was good but then refused to give it a numeric rating. Why – I have no idea!
Husband’s rating: ? out of 5 (he refused to give me a rating for some reason)
Addie’s rating: 4 out of 5
My rating: 3.5 out of 5
Creme caramel
Ingredients
Caramel
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons water
Flan
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups milk scalding
- 3 large eggs lightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Set 6 (half cup capacity) ramekins in a 9"x13" baking pan and set aside.
Make the caramel
- In a small saucepan set over medium high heat, melt the sugar and water together. Do not stir! You can swirl the pan but do not stir with a spatula. Keep heating this until it turns a dark amber color. Once the caramel turns amber, evenly distribute it into the bottom of the ramekins.
Make the flan
- In a medium sized saucepan, heat up the milk until scalding. Add in the sugar and vanilla until the sugar dissolves.
- Place the beaten eggs in a large measuring cup or medium sized bowl. Pour about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the eggs and whisk vigorously. Slowly pour about half of it back into the saucepan and keep whisking. Then add the remaining egg mixture and keep mixing.
- Set a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the large bowl so that you sift out any cooked eggs. Evenly distribute the remaining custard mixture into the 6 ramekins.
- Pour hot water into the baking pan (but NOT into the ramekins) so that the water comes up about halfway to the outside of the ramekins.
- Bake in your preheated oven for about 40 minutes.
- Remove the ramekins from the pan and allow to cool before placing in the refrigerator to cool completely.
- Run a sharp knife around the edge of the ramekin. Invert the ramekin onto a serving plate and serve cold.