Crème caramel

 Next to fruit salad, crème caramel is possibly the most common gluten-free dessert served to coeliacs at catered functions or on many restaurant menus. I am not sure why, but I had always assumed it was a difficult dish to make. I think it’s because I didn’t understand the chemistry that turns the hard caramel into the sweet and plentiful sauce that crowns the silky smooth custard. Doing the research for this recipe, I discovered that the secret is actually as simple as time. Sugar is hydrophilic—meaning it absorbs moisture, in this case from the custard. Somewhat surprisingly, the longer you keep the cooked crème caramels in the fridge, the more sauce you get. Serving them on the day you make them leaves most of the caramel hard in the bottom of the ramekin dish. By day 2 or 3, the majority of sugar has softened into the sauce.

It is important to gently bake the custards to get the silky smooth texture without the custard curdling or forming a hard crust before the middle is cooked. The humidity from the steam that rises as the water heats helps keep the top of the custard from becoming too dry. An easy bain marie is to use a tea towel to line a baking dish, which is then filled with hot water up to halfway up the sides of the ramekins. The tea towel also acts as a barrier between the ramekin and the baking dish. This stops the bottom of the ramekin from getting too hot and the custard cooking unevenly. Your tea towel won’t burn, it will just get wet :)

To make this restaurant-quality dish, making them a day or 2 before you want to serve them gives the best results. Possibly the "scariest part" is decanting the dessert from the ramekin onto the plate. You will need to gently loosen the top of the baked custard from the sides of the dish. I also found that once inverted on the plate, a sudden movement side to side allows you to feel the dessert shift in the ramekin, releasing the suction. Then as you lift the ramekin, the custard is settled nicely on your serving plate and the sauce cascades down onto the plate.

Serves 6

Caramel:

• 200 g caster sugar
• ½ cup water

Custard:

• 100 g caster sugar
• 300 ml cream
• 1½ cups milk
• 4 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 vanilla pod

Preheat the oven to 150°C fan/170°C.

To make the caramel:

Combine 200 g caster sugar with ½ cup water over low heat, stirring until dissolved. Increase heat and bring to a boil, brushing down the sides of the pot to prevent sugar crystals from sticking. Boil until a deep caramel/mahogany colour (5-7 minutes).

Remove from heat and allow bubbles to subside. Pour into 6 straight-sided 1-cup ramekins, turning carefully to coat the sides. Chill until the caramel has set (20 minutes in the fridge).

To make the custard:

Combine cream, milk, and split vanilla pod in a medium saucepan. Heat over moderate heat for 6 minutes until small bubbles begin to appear on the side of the pan, stirring occasionally.

In a bowl, gently whisk eggs, egg yolks, and remaining sugar using a fork. You don’t want to create a foam. Pour in milk slowly and combine. Strain the egg mixture and then pour into prepared ramekins.

Place ramekins in a tea towel-lined baking dish and pour in hot water until just over halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until just set. Remove from the baking dish and allow to cool on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature. Refrigerate overnight.

To serve, allow ramekin to come to room temperature. Invert onto a deep plate and swish to the side to release the custard. Gently remove the ramekin. The custard should be surrounded by the dark caramel sauce as it cascades down the sides.