Creme Caramel

Classic French dessert without calorific overkill

Ingredients for 6

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Ingredients
4	eggs	egg	(200 grams)
125	grams	caster sugar
1	pod	vanilla	(6 grams)
600	mls	milk
	For the Caramel
50	mls	water
45	grams	caster sugar

Salt content: 0% (by weight, not counting salt in other ingredients)

You can use vanilla extract instead of real vanilla if you want to spare the expense. It does taste and look nicer with real vanilla, though.

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius / 300 Fahrenheit / Gas Mark 2.

This is the point where I have to confess that I made the batch in the photos below with vanilla flavouring as I didn't have a vanilla pod at home. If you can, use real vanilla, as you really can taste the difference!

Step-by-Step Instructions

	As a first step, we make the creme. Take 1/3 of the milk, cut open your vanilla pod lengthwise and boil it in the milk. Keep just below boiling for 10 minutes so that the vanilla flavour can enter the milk. Cool down a bit, then mix in the rest of the milk, the caster sugar and the eggs. Beat well. If you are using vanilla flavouring, you don't have to heat up the milk.
	Now we are making the caramel. This takes a bit. Put the caster sugar and the water into a small saucepan. Now boil the mixture up so that the sugar dissolves and keep at a bubbly boil like in this photo. Occasionally stir with a fork, but don't overdo it.
	After some time (this can take a good 10 minutes or longer), you will notice that the sugar turns golden brown.
	Now you have to watch the caramel as you don't want to burn it. Stir it with a fork and brown it to your liking - don't go too dark as it will add a burned taste to the caramel. Quickly put the bottom of the saucepan into cold water (just very briefly, we only want the caramelising to stop).
	Now you have to hurry - pour equal amounts of caramel into the ramekins and swirl the ramekin in your hand to distribute the caramel at the bottom so that it touches the sides.
	Within minutes, the caramel goes solid. This is the degree of caramelisation that I prefer - dark golden brown.
	Now add the creme mixture into the ramekins.
	Put the ramekins into a roasting dish and fill with boiling water so that the water goes half way up the ramekins. Put into the pre-heated oven and leave for 45 minutes.
	Now the creme has set. Let the creme caramel cool down, then cover in cling film and put them in the fridge. You will have to leave them for 24 hours in the fridge so that the caramel is dissolved and enters into the creme a bit.
	Go around the inner rim of the ramekin with a knife and turn out the creme caramel onto a plate and serve.