Crème Carmel

Crème Carmel (aka Flan) is a nice custard dessert, presented here with a tuile cookie dome. First prepare the caramelized sugar and then the baked custard.

Caramelized Sugar
Makes enough for 5 - 4" ramekins

• 8 oz sugar
• 2 oz water
• 3 drops of lemon juice

Combine all of the ingredients in a sauce pan and begin heating. Do not stir the mixture. Brush down the insides of the pan with clean water if crystals start forming on the walls, careful not to touch the mixture with your brush. Once the sugar begins to turn brown gently swirl the solution around to distribute the color, by holding the handle of the pan and swirling. Once the entire mixture is brown, place the pot directly into an ice bath so stop it from cooking further. Immediately pour the sugar into 5 - 4" ramekins. Just enough to coat the bottoms. If the mixture hardens in the bottom and you don't have enough to coat the whole bottom, don't worry about it because it will melt again evenly in the oven when you bake the custard.

Baked Custard
Makes 5 - 4" ramekins

• 1 pt milk
• 1 pt half and half
• 4 oz sugar
• 1/2 vanilla bean (split)
• 1/3 tsp salt
• 14 oz eggs

1. In a sauce pan scald the milk, half and half, sugar, vanilla bean, and salt. Remove from heat.
2. In a bowl, whisk the eggs to break them up. Carefully pour about 1 1/2 cups of the hot mixture into the eggs, stirring constantly.
   
3. Whisk the tempered eggs back into the hot mixture. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve. Gently scrape out the vanilla bean and stir in.
4. Place mixture into the ramekins (after the caramelized sugar has already been placed in the dishes). Put dishes in a water bath, ensuring water comes up no higher than 1/3 way up the ramekins.
   
5. Bake at 350 degrees F, until set and there is a light skin on top of the custard, approximately 35 minutes.
   

Once they are finished baking, cool and then cover in saran wrap and place in the fridge. The next day (or once they are completely cooled), take a small offset spatula and run it around the edge only going about halfway down so you don't touch the sugar. Flip it over onto a plate, shake it a little and it should come out of the ramekin. If it does not, you may need to run the spatula around again. Decorate as desired and serve chilled.

-amanda