Pots de Crème avec Caramel au Beurre Salé

Creme Caramel Recipe

Here is a recipe for Creme Caramel or Pots de Crème avec Caramel au Beurre Salé. It’s vanilla cream pudding with salted butter caramel sauce.  Creamy, rich and cold for after dinner (or anytime, really).

You can get creative with the display and garnish. This is a super-simplified version, inspired by the real thing in Paris.

Ingredients

Caramel

• 1c sugar
• 4 tbsp  butter
• 3/4 cup whipping cream

Cream Pudding

• 3 1/2 c. whipping cream
• 1 whole egg and 5 yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

Make Caramel

1. In a skillet over medium-high heat, add sugar.  Heat, stirring the sugar occasionally.
2. When it is melted completely, stir in butter. 
3. When the butter is melted completely, stir in cream.  Remove from heat.

Make Pudding

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine whipping cream, egg and egg yolks, and sugar. 
2. Cook until sugar is dissolved. 
3. Add vanilla and stir well.

Assemble

1. Preheat oven to 350º. 
2. Butter 6, 6 oz. ramekins.  Pour a portion of the pudding into each ramekin. 
3. In a tea kettle or sauce pan, heat a container of water to boiling. 
4. Meanwhile, in a large baking dish (we are making a bain marie), arrange the ramekins.  Pour in water up to 1/2 of the sides of the ramekins. 
5. Place baking dish with ramekins into the oven and cook about 30 minutes, until the middle of the ramekin is cooked, but jiggly. 
6. Remove from oven, and cool to room temperature.
7. Pour caramel over pudding to fill to the rim. 
8. Refrigerate at least 3 hours and serve. 
9. Add a little whipped cream or crème fraiche or whipped cream to gild the lily.

The real thing at l’Assiette. I tried to recreate it.  Read more about l’Assiette  here.