#1 : Caramel Custard

Baked custard! “Creme Caramel. A light egg custard that is baked in caramel-lined mould in a water bath. After the custard is baked, it is chilled and then turned out of the mould.. In Spain, it is called flan and in Italy, crème caramella.” ~ The international dictionary of desserts, pastries, & confections, Carole Bloom [Hearst books: new York] 1995 (P.84)

My early memories of caramel custard, was of someting like flubber when touched. An off white base with a dark top. While sweet to taste the bitterness of the burnt sugar taking over the palate..not something i quiet relished as a kid.  Over the years, I have begun to like this dessert. And thus it happens to be the first recipe I have cooked.

(Burn the sugar a li'l longer for a dark caramel!

Else have a lighter version to it... both give amazing flavors...)

The Recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

1. Milk- 350 ml
2. Sugar - 3 TBsp
3. Eggs - 2
4. Vanilla Essence 

Procedure:

Beat up 2 Tbsp of sugar and eggs together. Add the milk to the sugar-egg mix and beat up the mixture. Now add the essence and mix well. ( The essence apart from adding flavor to the custard will also remove the smell of egg.) An improvisation to the custard can be done by adding grated orange/lemon peels. Mix the batter well.

Take an aluminium vessel or  a preferred bowl of your choice and add the balance 1 Tbsp of sugar to it. Heat the sugar to prepare the caramel. Once the caramel is ready, keep it aside till it cools down.

Now, add the beaten mixture into the caramel bowl. Cover the bowl with butter paper. Place the bowl in a cooker containing appropriate amount of water (prefereably 2 glasses).  Leave to steam for 15 mins.

Once the caramel custard cools down, turn the custard over into a plate. Refridgerate for a while. 

Delicious Caramel Custard is ready to be served!!! 

Njoi!