Vietnamese crème caramel
Vietnamese crème caramel
Uyen Luu
Uyen is a London-based food blogger and supper-club host who also runs cookery lessons teaching Vietnamese cuisine. She is author of My Vietnamese Kitchen.
Uyen Luu
Uyen is a London-based food blogger and supper-club host who also runs cookery lessons teaching Vietnamese cuisine. She is author of My Vietnamese Kitchen.
Ingredients
For the crème:
- 120ml double cream
- 200g sweetened condensed milk
- 250ml whole milk
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 4 medium eggs
- 2 medium egg yolks
- 40g caster sugar
For the caramel:
- 140g caster sugar
- 100ml strong coffee
Step by step
Make up to 2 days ahead and store in the fridge.
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Preheat 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.
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For 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.
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Once 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.
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Pour 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.
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Bake 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.
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Run 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.
The Vietnamese love crème caramel – it was brought over by the French. This caramel infused with coffee is a delicious twist on the classic