Creme- Caramel (Sainsbury’s Magazine Adaptation)

Vietnamese creme caramel

Get ahead

Make up to 2 days ahead and store in the fridge.

You will need

For the crème:

  • 120ml double cream
  • 200g sweetened condensed milk
  • 250ml whole milk
  • 1½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 medium eggs, plus 2 medium egg yolks
  • 40g caster sugar

For the caramel:

  • 140g caster sugar
  • 100ml strong coffee

 

step by step

  • 1Preheat the oven to 160°C, fan 140°C, gas 3. Beat all the ingredients for the crème together in a bowl. Strain through a sieve into a jug; set aside.
  • 2For the caramel, put the sugar and coffee in a heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved, cook without stirring, swirling the pan occasionally, for 15 minutes. To test if the caramel is ready, drip a little into a ramekin with a spoon. If it hardens quickly, it is ready. If not, cook for a couple more minutes, then retest.
  • The Vietnamese love crème caramel – it was brought over by the French. This caramel infused with coffee is a delicious twist on the classic

    Uyen Luu

  • 3Once the caramel is ready, pour a thin layer into an 18-20cm cake tin or 8 x 175ml ramekins (enough to cover the base) and swirl around very quickly to coat the base before it sets. Allow to set and harden.
  • 4Pour the crème into the prepared cake tin. If using ramekins, pour about 3cm of the crème into each one.  Place the tin/ramekins in a roasting tin; pour in enough water to come halfway up the sides – this is a bain-marie and allows even baking.
  • 5Bake for 20-25 minutes for the individual portions or 40-45 minutes for the large one – they will still have a wobble in the centre that will set on cooling. Remove from the bain-marie, allow to cool, then chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.
  • 6Run a thin knife all around the edge of the tin/ramekins. Turn it upside down on to a dish and tap to help it pop out. The caramel should drizzle down the sides, forming a puddle.
  • Recipe adapted from My Vietnamese Kitchen by Uyen Luu (Ryland Peters & Small, £16.99). Recipe photograph by Karen Thomas