Make Sensational Expresso Crème Caramels,
These Expresso Crème Caramels may seem like a throwback to the past, but they still have the wow factor if done well.
The texture needs to be just right, and the caramel cooked to perfection to provide just enough bitterness to offset the sweetness of the cream. In all it’s a good test of cooking skills to show off to your guests. All the work is done ahead of time so its stressless to serve and easy to make.
You will need.
- 5 dariole moulds or small ramekins
- A deep tray large enough to take the moulds and act as a water bath
- Fine strainer
- Small saucepan, to make the coffee
- 2 x wide based pans
- Mixing bowl
Expresso Crème Caramels
Makes 5 x 100ml dariole moulds.
Oven temperature 100˚c
Ingredients
For the coffee syrup
- 100ml water
- 2 teaspoon instant espresso coffee
- 200g caster sugar, sifted
For the Expresso Crème Caramels.
- 150ml full fat milk
- 300g double cream
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 vanilla pod
- ¾ teaspoon instant espresso coffee
Making the caramel syrup.
Bring the 100ml of water for the syrup to the simmer, dissolve the instant coffee into the hot water then remove the pan from the heat.
How to make real caramel.
Please Note.
Real Caramel is not a difficult thing to make but need some concentration, and planning to perform it safely.
I would recommend wearing a pair of rubber gloves when making caramel. As the sugar cooks it reaches very high temperatures that will cause dangerous burns to the skin. The sugar will stick to the skin and believe me, it’s impossible to remove. If this does happen, plunge your skin into the cold water immediately to cool the sugar quickly.
Lock up the kids, pets and take the phone off the hook.
.
Cooking the sugar.
Firstly, have a bowl of cold water beside you large enough for your caramel pan to fit into.
Pour the sifted sugar evenly over the base of a wide-based pan and set over a medium heat. As the sugar heats it will begin to slowly melt and become liquid. Do not be put off by the colour. The sugar will begin to discolour before it caramelises. Stopping the cooking too soon will result in an overly sweet sauce as its not yet caramelised. You shouldn’t need to stir the sugar it will melt by itself. If you desperately feel the need to stir the pan, use a wooden or silicone spoon. Metal spoons will cool the sugar down and form a lollypop of caramel around the spoon.
Stopping the caramel.
When the sugar is ready it will begin to give off a slight blue haze and foam will begin to develop on the surface of the sugar. Don’t delay now; dip the pan into the cold water for two seconds to take the heat from the pan and stop the sugar cooking. If this is not done the heat retained in the pan will continue to cook the sugar and cause it to start burning.
Pour about 1 tablespoon of caramel into the base of each dariole mould. Be careful here as the molten mass is still very hot when the moulds are ready leave them to cool and set.
Making the Coffee syrup.
Return the remainder of the caramel back to the heat and add the hot liquid coffee. Some of the caramel may form into lumps as the coffee is added. Don’t worry, slowly mix the sugar over a low heat until all the lumps have dissolved then pour the sauce into a small bowl to cool completely.
The sauce will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks if needed.
The Expresso Crème Caramel, Cream.
Before you start turn on the oven and set the temperature to 100˚c.
Next warm the milk and cream in a small pan. Split the vanilla pod long ways and gently scrape the inside of the pod with the back of the knife to release the seeds. Add the pod and seeds to the warm liquid with the instant coffee. Bring the pan to the simmer then turn off the heat and leave to stand for five minutes to extract the flavour of the pod.
While the milk mix is standing mix the eggs, egg yolk and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Don’t whisk too much air into the eggs. This can cause the caramels to souffle in the oven and spoil the texture. Pour the warm milk mix over the eggs and mix.
Cooking the Crème Caramels.
Arrange the moulds in a deep roasting tray or large pan. Strain the coffee custard into a jug. Fill the moulds with the custard, then fill the tray with very hot water to about 2cm from the top of the moulds. Place the tray into an oven set at 100°c and cook for about 35 minutes.
TIP.
If you are not too sure about carrying a tray of hot water to the oven, use a jug to fill the tray once its safely within the oven.
When the caramels are cooked, they should be set with just a slight wobble on top. Carefully remove the moulds from the water bath and leave to cool completely. Once cool place them in the fridge overnight ready to be served
Serving the Expresso Crème Caramels.
Flattish soup or dessert plate are the best way of presenting the dessert. Unmould the caramels into the centre of the plate and pour some of the coffee / caramel syrup over the top. Sometimes this presentation is termed as ‘Drowned’ as the caramels are sitting in a moat of syrup.
F.A.Qs
Why do my caramels not come out of the moulds intact?
Unmoulding the Crème Caramels is easy if you take a little care. If you have ever tried to unmould anything only to have it break in half, there is a simple solution. The problem is that to food isn’t stuck to the base of the mould, but a vacuum has formed between the food and the container as it cools. . Run the tip of a small knife around the top edge of the caramel cream, to release the skin that has formed. Now hold the mould horizontally and pull down the edge of the caramel cream with your finger. This should let some air in around the dessert and allow it to slide out of the mould.
Why do you use caster sugar and not granulated as most recipes ask for?
Yes, your right, most domestic recipes use granulated sugar with some water added to make caramel. This does work but has its problems.
As the sugar dissolves into the water, it forms a syrup. The idea then is to evaporate all the water leaving just liquid sugar which can be cooked to a caramel.
What tends to happen in practice is that the sugar syrup becomes very dense and if stirred or exposed to any sugar crystals it will go crystalline and suddenly set in the pan. A drop of lemon juice can help resist this but its best to do as we do and avoid the water all together.
Granulated sugar is more difficult to melt in a dry pan. And as most people will be inexperienced in making caramel, caster sugar is the easiest to use.
Enjoy Life!
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
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