RECIPE! Salted Caramel Pots de Creme

That's right, friends! Today I'm going to show you how to make these delicious little treats using this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens.

Salted Caramel Pot de Creme

A little information:

A Pot de Creme is essentially just a fancy name for custard. Made with egg yolks, cream, milk, and a flavor (usually vanilla or chocolate), they're baked in the oven in a water bath and generally served cold in the small pots they were baked in! It's looser than other custards or flans.

Caramel is basically burned sugar. Sugar is slowly heated, and as the temperature rises the molecules reform into compounds with the beautiful amber colour and rich deep flavor we all know and love.

Mmmmm, Science! (photo from Wikipedia) 

The Ingredients: 

(note: I halved the recipe, since it was just for my husband and I)

• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Yep, that's it! 

Method

First thing's first, you'll want to preheat your oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). Next, you'll want to set 8 ramekins in a large roasting pan to be used later.

Next, combine sugar, salt, and water in a medium sized saucepan

And now the waiting begins

Cook and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. This is going to take a LONG time, I would say it probably took me about 25 - 30 minutes to get the sugar where it needed to be. I started out on heat setting 2 (my electric stove goes from 1 - 9), but I ended up increasing it to 4 by the end to speed things along. 

Super blurry - whoops! 

Once it's finally at the lovely consistency above, turn up the heat! Bring to a boil over medium/high heat and boil gently WITHOUT STIRRING for 8 - 10 minutes or until the dissolved sugar turns a lovely amber colour. Remove from heat.

This is what happens when you stir it

Yep, no stirring. I'm not a fan of hard burned on food ruining my pans, so I stirred. And what happened? Crystallisation happened. It's okay, it just makes the next few steps a bit harder. Lesson learned, don't stir.

Anyways, while whisking constantly, slowly add whipping cream and milk to the caramelised sugar.

I mixed my cream and milk beforehand to make adding it much easier

This is going to cause some steam and your sugar will harden, but that's okay!

Blurry again. It's hard to whisk and photograph, y'all.

Return this mixture to the heat and whisk for about 2 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved. This will take a bit longer if you stirred when you shouldn't have.

Now, in a large bowl whisk your egg yolks until light and foamy. Actually, I did this while waiting for my sugar to caramelise.

Top tip: pre-measure your ingredients before starting, the whole thing will go much more smoothly
Also - separating egg yolks is super gross when you do it with your hands. Ick.

Don't make fun of my super-sized bowl. My smaller one was in use for something else. 

Slowly whisk your cream mixture into the beaten egg yolks

It's all very yellow...

Pour the mixture through a fine meshed sieve into a 4 cup measuring jug with a pouring spout. I don't have a fine meshed sieve at the moment, so I just carefully poured the mixture into the measuring jug while trying to trap any clumps of sugar with my whisk. It worked fairly well. Divide the mixture into your ramekins.

Remember - I halved the recipe! 

Add enough hot water to the roasting pan to come about halfway up the ramekins. I just put the kettle on and poured it in until I had enough. Carefully place onto your oven rack.

If your mixture looks darker than mine, don't worry! I took mine off of the heat a little earlier - also it would have been darker if I DIDN'T STIR! 

Bake for 40 minutes or until the edges of the custards are set but the centres jiggle when shaken. Transfer to wire racks and cool for about half an hour.

They smell so good. Must resist.

Cover and chill for about 4 hours.

That's right, 4 hours. You can do it!

When they're finally ready to be devoured, sprinkle with a little sea salt and TUCK IN! 

OH MY GOD! FINALLY! I'VE WAITED SO LONG! 

This recipe was amazingly simple and super satisfying. A great make ahead dessert for dinner parties or just something to keep in the fridge for a sweet treat any time. The rich buttery flavor and the hint of salt is just magic on your tongue. This is happening again. And again and again and again. 

Warning: The sight of your empty ramekin may cause tears

What's your favourite caramel treat?