Mid Week Meal Ideas: Creme Caramel

I've been wanting to try one of these for ages and finally got around to making sure I had the right ingredients. Thickened cream was the only thing I needed that wouldn't have been in my fridge/pantry already. The recipe I used is from Super Food Ideas magazine Sept 2006

Basic Creme Caramel

1 cup white sugar

600ml thickened cream

3/4 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup caster sugar

1. To make caramel place white sugar in a non stick frying pan over a medium heat. Cook, stirring with a metal spoon until sugar dissolves and turns a deep caramel colour. Tilt pan to allow sugar to caramelise evenly. Pour caramel into a 7cm deep oven proof dish with 16cm base. Tilt so caramel spreads evenly.

2. Combine cream, milk and vanilla in a pot. Stir over a medium heat until hot and small bubbles are appearing at the sides. Remove from heat.

3. Whisk eggs, egg yolks and caster sugar until creamy. Slowly add hot cream mixture, whisking constantly. Strain this custard into a large jug.

4. Place a folded cloth in the base of a roasting pan. Place your dish on the cloth. Pour custard into dish. Pour boiling water into roasting pan so it comes half way up the dish.

5. Bake at 180 degrees for one hour or until firm.

6. Cool at room temperature, refrigerate overnight then run a knife around the edge of custard and invert onto a dessert plate to serve.

Not a pretty serving dish but perfectly fitted the shape of my creme caramel!