Cakes : Bakes: Crème caramel

I got, not one but two, pressure cookers in a mixed lot at auction last week. I’d been after one for a while – it’s a piece of kit that was always being used in my parents’ (and my friends’ parents’) kitchen.

I haven’t used one in decades. They’re superb for cooking bean, pulse and rice dishes in particular…

…but this is a ‘Cakes & Bakes‘ post, so a more suitable dish was required. I spent last night looking at all manner of pressure cooker recipes and decided on crème caramel.

Probably not something you’d immediately think of making in a pressure cooker – but it appeared quite straightforward, so ideal for me to reacquaint myself with the hissing and steaming beast.

The results were actually rather delicious!

Crème caramel

Hip Pressure Cooking

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Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Servings 4

Ingredients

For the caramel

100 g sugar

For the custard

250 ml/½pt whole milk
3 eggs 2 whole plus one yolk
½ tbsp vanilla extract
125 g sugar

Instructions

To make the caramel

In your widest sauté pan, add the sugar and turn the flame to high and wait. DO NOT STIR - at most, pick up the pan and swish it around to make sure the sugar is evenly melted in the caramel
As soon as almost all of the sugar has turned to caramel turn off the heat
Hold the mould with your oven-mitt-covered hand, or some other protection that will not limit your dexterity yet protect your hand form the hot scalding sugar. With the other hand, pour a little caramel in the bottom and then swirl it around covering the mould internally and on the sides as much as you can

To make the custard

Infuse the milk with the vanilla extract to almost boiling and then remove from the heat and allow to cool. You can do this stage using a large glass measuring jug in the microwave or medium-sized saucepan on the stove-top
In another large measuring jug, whisk the eggs & extra yolk with the sugar
Pour the cooled milk into the egg mixture. Combine well - the resulting consistency will be very liquid
Pour the milk & egg mixture into the caramelized moulds leaving 1 cm/½" space from the top
Cover the moulds tightly with tin foil
Prepare the pressure cooker by adding a couple of cups of water and the cooking rack
Fill the pressure cooker with as many of the filled moulds as possible that will stay level (my cooker only fit 2 of the Le Creuset heart-shaped ramekins at a time). Close and lock the pressure cooker top, turn the heat to high and when it reaches pressure, turn the flame down to minimum
Count 5-8 minutes cooking time (time may vary depending on the size and thickness of the container(s) used)
When time is up, turn off the heat and don't do anything wait for the pressure to come down naturally. If after 10 minutes all of the pressure hasn't released, relieve the rest of the pressure with the pressure valve. For electric pressure cookers, disengage the 'Keep Warm' setting when cooking time is up and turn off or unplug the pressure cooker
When time is up, open the top and check for 'doneness' by sticking a toothpick in the middle of one of the crèmes. If it comes out dirty, simply place the pressure cooker cover back on and wait another 5 minutes - the residual heat from the pressure cooker will keep cooking them. If the crème caramels are still liquid, cook under pressure and additional 5 minutes
Let the crème caramels cool outside the pan for about an hour before refrigerating. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. If you need to do another batch, remember to add more water in your pressure cooker!
To serve, simply turn each mould upside-down onto separate dessert dishes. If a crème caramel doesn't release on it's own, insert a flat knife and run it carefully along the sides. Then, on one side pull the knife a little towards the centre to break the suction
Replace the dessert plate on top of the mould and flip it over quickly

Keyword caramel, egg custard

Cakes & Bakes: Boozy bread and butter pudding

The secret to this boozy bread and butter pudding is all about getting soaked. No, not in the getting drunk sort of way!

You need to soak the currants for a few hours or even overnight in the alcohol. Melt the butter in the microwave for a few seconds before spreading it on the bread with a pastry brush so that it soaks in. Allow the bread to soak up the custard liquid for half an hour before putting the dish in the oven – ‘soaked’ in a bain-marie.

I like using slices from a stale Warbies Toastie loaf. If you want to be fancy you can substitute the bread for panettone, brioche, challah, hot cross buns if it’s Easter time or stollen if it’s Christmas.

The boozy bread and butter pudding result was a delicious, warming, comforting pudding – perfect for the chilly autumn and winter months.

Boozy bread and butter pudding

Delia Smith's Cookery Course: Part One

My twist on Delia's classic bread & butter pudding!

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Cook Time 40

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Servings 4

Ingredients

100 ml/3½fl oz Baileys or rum, whiskey or Tia Maria... whichever you have to hand
8 slices bread
60 g/2oz butter
60 g/2oz currants
275 ml/10fl oz milk
60 ml/2½fl oz double cream
50 g/2oz caster sugar I used home-made vanilla sugar
grated zest of ½ small lemon
3 eggs
freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions

Soak the currants in the alcohol for a couple of hours (or overnight if you're forward planning!)
Grease a 1 litre/2 pint rectangular Pyrex glass or enamel baking dish
Butter the bread and cut each slice of buttered bread into quarters leaving the crusts on
Arrange one layer of buttered bread over the base of the baking dish, sprinkle half the currants and liquor over, then cover with another layer of the bread slices and the remainder of the currants and liquor
In a measuring jug, measure out the milk and add the double cream
Stir in the caster sugar and lemon zest, then whisk the eggs, first on their own in a small measuring jug and then into the milk mixture. Stir to combine
Pour the liquid over the bread before sprinkling over some freshly grated nutmeg
Leave for about an hour, allowing the bread to soak up the liquid
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4
Put the dish on a bain-marie
Bake for 30-40 minutes
Serve warm with pouring cream, ice cream or custard

boozy bread and butter pudding ingredients

Keyword bread, bread pudding, pudding

Cakes & Bakes: Plum flaugnarde

We were given half a dozen sweet, ripe plums last week. We ate a couple and used the others in a plum flaugnarde.

A flaugnarde is similar to clafoutis in that they’re both baked French egg custard fruit puddings. However, if you’re a purist, the latter can only ever be made using cherries.

A flaugnarde on the other hand may contain all manner of fruit including pears, apples, figs, dried fruit, nuts…

The addition of a little buerre noisette gives the custard a lovely, nutty flavour. Make sure you only cook it until it goes a nice, golden brown. If the butter’s even just a little bit burnt, it will ruin the dish.

A tablespoonful of almonds isn’t essential, but it adds texture, bite more nuttiness… and looks beautiful too!

It puffs up beautifully while it’s cooking, but don’t worry when it deflates as it cools once out of the oven – it will do this. Serve it straight away with a little double cream or clotted cream.

Plum flaugnarde

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Cook Time 30

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Ingredients

4 ripe plums
20 g/¾oz unsalted butter plus extra for greasing
2 eggs
3 tbsp caster sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
50 g/1¾fl oz milk
75 g/2¼fl oz double cream
pinch salt
1 tbs flaked almonds optional
icing sugar for dusting optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4
Grease a baking dish with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Shake the sugar around the dish so it's evenly coated. Tip away any excess
Halve the plums, remove the stones and place them cut side down, evenly spread into the baking dish
Heat the butter in a small frying pan over a low heat until it turns a light brown colour. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside
In a large bowl or measuring jug whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence until creamy
Add the flour, whisk until smooth, then slowly incorporate the milk, cream, salt and beurre noisette.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish making sure the plums are still evenly spread out
Sprinkle with the flaked almonds
Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the top is puffed up and a skewer inserted into the middle comes away clean
Place on a wire cooling rack, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve warm with double or clotted cream

Keyword egg custard, flaugnarde, fruit tart, plums

Cakes & Bakes: Jam roly poly

We do love a hot, hearty pudding on a cold winter’s day – and what could be better than jam roly poly? I have to confess that I needed two attempts to perfect this week’s bake.

Roly Poly ‘Mark I’ was a disaster. There wasn’t enough jam to start with. Also, I rolled up the pastry way too tightly. Last and certainly least, I boiled it. A method I’d read in a few recipes. It was so bad that Justin spat it out, declaring it was the worst thing I’d ever made! Ever!!

I’m pleased to report that Roly Poly ‘Mark II’ was a triumph!

The ingredients were blended gently, then rolled not too tight… with plenty of filling.

Sugar was sprinkled over the surface (another omission in the earlier version).

And finally it was baked to a wonderful golden brown, the hot jam oozing through cracks.

After allowing to cool slightly, it was devoured – with lashings of custard of course!

And the official verdict from the chief taster? “Superb – I could eat that all over again!”

Jam roly poly

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Servings 4

Ingredients

300 g/10½oz self raising flour
75 g/2½oz vegetarian suet
pinch of salt
180 ml/6fl oz cold water
4 tbs fruit jam or jelly raspberry, strawberry etc. I used a jar of my home made blackberry jelly

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4
In a large bowl or food processor mix the flour, suet and salt
Add the cold water and combine to form a stiff dough
Dust a work surface with flour and roll out the dough into a rectangle
Liberally spread the jam leaving a 1cm gap along each edge
Roll up along the short side and brush the long edge (and ends if desired) with milk to seal
Grease a large baking tray and put the roly poly on it, putting the join at the the bottom
Brush the top with milk and sprinkle with a little granulated sugar
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes
Allow to cool slightly on a wire rack before serving with custard

Keyword jam, roly poly, suet

H is for Home Harbinger

Tag: pudding

Cakes : Bakes: Crème caramel

Crème caramel

Ingredients

For the caramel

For the custard

Instructions

To make the caramel

To make the custard

Cakes & Bakes: Boozy bread and butter pudding

Boozy bread and butter pudding

Ingredients

Instructions

Cakes & Bakes: Plum flaugnarde

Plum flaugnarde

Ingredients

Instructions

Cakes & Bakes: Jam roly poly

Jam roly poly

Ingredients

Instructions