Burnt Caramel Custards Recipes

BURNT-CARAMEL CUSTARDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Place cream in a medium saucepan; scrape in seeds from vanilla bean and add pod. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat; set aside.
• Bring 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil, swirling pan occasionally and brushing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush, until mixture turns a deep amber color, about 4 minutes; remove caramel from heat.
• Remove vanilla pod from cream; discard. Slowly add cream to caramel (mixture will bubble vigorously). Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Whisk egg yolks, kosher salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl. Slowly stream in caramel cream, whisking constantly. Divide custard among eight 6-ounce ramekins or ovenproof bowls and place in a kitchen towel-lined large baking dish or roasting pan. Fill pan with water to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake until custard is just set but still jiggly in the center, 60-70 minutes. Remove ramekins from baking dish; place on a wire rack and let cool. Chill custards, uncovered, at least 3 hours.
• Top custards with whipped cream and sprinkle with sea salt.
• DO AHEAD: Custards can be made 2 days ahead; cover and keep chilled.

BURNT CUSTARD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar. In a small saucepan, heat cream over medium heat until bubbles form around sides of pan. Remove from the heat; stir a small amount of hot cream into egg yolk mixture. Return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Stir in vanilla., Transfer to six 6-oz. broiler-safe ramekins or custard cups. Place cups in a baking pan; add 1 in. of boiling water to pan. Bake, uncovered, at 300° for 30-35 minutes or until centers are just set (mixture will jiggle). Remove ramekins from water bath; cool for 10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours., Before serving, let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Broil 8 in. from the heat for 2-4 minutes or until sugar is caramelized. If desired, garnish with fresh raspberries.,

CARAMEL CUSTARD

Steps:

• In a large heavy saucepan, cook and stir 3/4 cup sugar over low heat until sugar is melted and golden. Pour into eight 6-oz. custard cups, tilting to coat bottom of cup; let stand for 10 minutes. , In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, vanilla and remaining sugar until blended but not foamy. Pour over caramelized sugar. , Place the cups in two 8-in. square baking pans. Pour very hot water in pans to a depth of 1 in. Bake at 350° until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Remove from pans to cool on wire racks. , To unmold, run a knife around rim of cup and invert onto dessert place. Serve warm or chilled.

BAKE-AHEAD CARAMEL CUSTARDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set a kettle of water to boil.
• Make caramel: In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup water. Cook over medium-high, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Continue to cook, without stirring, until syrup turns golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully add half-and-half (mixture may clump and sputter); simmer, stirring constantly, until smooth. Remove from heat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla, and salt until pale yellow and thick. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, gradually add caramel. Skim any foam from surface of custard mixture.
• Divide mixture among six 6-ounce ramekins or custard cups. Line a baking pan (just large enough to hold ramekins) with a dish towel; place ramekins on dish towel. Transfer to oven, and pour enough boiling water into pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins; cover pan loosely with foil.
• Bake custards just until set but slightly wobbly, 40 to 45 minutes. Carefully remove ramekins from pan. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours (or, covered, up to 3 days). Garnish with toffee before serving.

BURNT CARAMEL PUDDING

Steps:

• 1. Heat the oven to 300°F.
• 2. Pour the cream into a small saucepan. Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the cream; toss the scraped pod in there too. Turn the heat to low to gently warm the cream.
• 3. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Pour the remaining sugar and the 1 1/2 tablespoons of water into a heavy-bottomed saucepan, set over medium heat, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Then crank the heat to high and let the liquid bubble away-don't stir, just swirl the pan occasionally-until it turns dark amber. This takes about 4 minutes, but watch closely, because it happens fast. Reduce the heat to medium.
• 4. Moving quickly, fish the vanilla pod out of the cream (rinse it and save for another use) and slowly stir the warm cream into the caramel. Once it comes to a boil (this will happen fast), remove from the heat and let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes.
• 5. Whisk the egg yolks with the reserved sugar and a pinch of sea salt in a medium bowl. Whisk a little of the cream-caramel mixture into the egg yolks, then gradually whisk in the rest until it's all incorporated.
• 6. Strain the mixture into a pitcher or large measuring cup and pour it into four 6-ounce ramekins (see Tips and Techniques). Place the ramekins in a shallow baking pan filled halfway with cold water. If you like your caramel a bit salty, like me, sprinkle a few grains of sea salt on top of each pudding. Cook for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, until just set.
• 7. Chill the puddings for at least 3 hours; but it's best if you can chill them overnight. Serve with freshly whipped cream.

BURNT CARAMEL PUDDING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 300 F.Pour cream into a small saucepan. Split vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the cream; toss the scraped pod in there, too. Turn the heat to low to gently warm the cream to just below a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Reserve 2 tablespoons of the sugar; pour remaining sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons water into heavy-bottomed saucepan and set over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Then crank the heat to high and let the liquid bubble away. Don't stir, just swirl the pan occasionally, until it turns dark amber. This takes about 4 minutes, but watch closely because it happens fast. Moving quickly, fish the vanilla pod out of the cream and save for another use. Slowly stir the warm cream into the caramel. Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl, until light and lemon colored.
• Whisk a little of the cream-caramel mixture into the egg yolks, to temper the yolks. Then add the yolk and cream mixture to the pot of cream and caramel. Strain the mixture into a pitcher or large measuring cup.
• Pour the mixture into four ramekins. If you like your caramel a bit salty, sprinkle a few extra grains of sea salt on top of each one. Place the ramekins in a shallow pan. Place the pan in the oven, and fill the outside of the pan with cold water, to halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes, until the custard is set in the middle.
• Remove the puddings from the oven, remove them from the water bath, and let cool completely. Chill for at least 6 hours, but it's best if you can chill overnight. Serve with whipped heavy cream, if you like.

EASY CARAMEL CUSTARD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Mix 1 tablespoon water into 1/4 cup sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until sugar is completely moistened. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until the sugar and water form a golden brown syrup, about 5 minutes. Do not stir. Remove from heat and let boiling subside. Carefully stir 1 tablespoon hot water into caramel syrup.
• Whisk milk and 5 tablespoons sugar together in a saucepan over low heat; heat just until warmed and sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk eggs into milk mixture. Pour caramel syrup into an 8x8-inch baking dish. Pour egg-milk mixture over syrup. Place pan into a larger baking dish and pour enough water into outer pan to reach about 1/2 inch up the sides of the inner pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until custard has set, about 45 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes; chill in refrigerator before serving.

SALTED CARAMEL CUSTARD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Place 6 (6.5 ounce) ramekins in a baking dish.
• Place sugar evenly in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Without stirring, allow sugar to slowly melt around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary. When edges start to bubble, shake and swirl pan to dissolve remaining sugar but without stirring it. Keep pan moving until you have a clear, dark caramel, about 10 minutes. When sugar is completely dissolved, whisk in cream; caramel will cool into a lump; this is normal. Keep stirring over medium heat until caramel melts and mixture comes up to temperature and sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat
• Stir in kosher salt, vanilla, and cold milk; mix well.
• Place egg yolks in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in a ladleful of caramel/milk mixture to the yolks. Add 2 more ladlefuls, one at a time. Then mix in the remainder of the caramel/milk mixture to the yolks, whisking until thoroughly blended.
• Divide custard mixture evenly among the ramekins. Carefully pour into the baking dish enough water so that it comes halfway up the sides of the filled ramekins.
• Bake in preheated oven until custard is set and the top of custard jiggles evenly across the surface, 45 to 60 minutes (depending on the size of your ramekins and how full they are). If the center seems looser than the edges, continue to bake another minute or so.
• Transfer ramekins to a cooling rack; cool to room temperature. Cover ramekins with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour until they are very cold.
• Serve topped with a pinch of light, flaky sea salt.