Classic Crème Caramel

Crème Caramel is a lighter dish than Crème Brulee, as it is made with milk instead of cream.   This one is made with the most amazing unpasteurised milk from Hook and Son, a family business at Borough Market, the artisan food market in London.   The milk was thick, creamy and, frankly, how milk should taste!   If you have ever eaten a supermarket crème caramel, this is in a different league, and you'll never go back. I don't know why this one cracked on the top, but it tastes just as good!

Crème Caramel

4 oz sugar

¼ pint water

1 pint full fat or semi-skimmed milk

4 eggs, beaten, mixed with

2tbsp sugar (if liked, you can omit the sugar)
1 tsp vanilla, or scrape half a split vanilla pod

Preheat oven to 150 deg C and boil a kettle of water.   Get a 14cm or larger soufflé dish ready.

In a small strong pan, boil the sugar and water until it forms a caramel – it goes bubbly and brown.  Take off the heat and gently pour it into the soufflé dish, using a heat-proof spatula to get the last delicious scrapings off the pan.   Swirl the dish around slowly while the caramel is setting to get an even coat, with some caramel up the sides.  Leave to get cold and hard.

Warm the milk with the vanilla to roughly blood heat, then pour onto the beaten eggs (and sugar).    Stir the mixture thoroughly, and then strain it into the soufflé dish.  Put the dish into a baking tin and pour in enough boiling water to go half way up the side.   Bake for approx 1hr, until the caramel is set. 

Remove from the water, then put cling film on the top and refrigerate.  This is best left for at least 24hrs before unmoulding, as the caramel top gently merges into the cooked crème.  

To get it out of the dish successfully (!), run a palette knife round the edge, then put the receiving dish (one with at least 1” sides) on top of the soufflé dish.  Lift both dishes together and then turn them over in one movement.  There should be a gentle flop when the (hopefully undamaged) crème caramel slides onto the serving dish.    Microwave the original dish to loosen up some of the delicious caramel and pour it over the crème.    Serves 6.