These rich and luscious custard-based desserts are made with homemade caramel sauce with a sprinkled with flaky salt to temper the sweetness. They are easy to make, but do require a water bath to help ensure a silky smooth texture. The pots de crème have to be made ahead of time and then chilled, so be sure to plan ahead.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, French
Keyword caramel, custard, pot de creme
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 40 minutesminutes
Refrigerate time 4 hourshours
Servings 6
Calories 328kcal
Author Irvin
Ingredients
1 1/2cupsheavy cream
1/2cupwhole milk
1 1/4cupswhite sugar250 g
6large egg yolks
1/4teaspoonkosher salt
1teaspoonvanilla extract
To bake
Boiling water
For topping
Maldon sea salt or other flaky finishing salt like Fleur de SelSel de Gris, Cypress flake salt or Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325°F.Place the cream and milk in a medium saucepan and heat the dairy until bubbles starts to form on the edges of the pan. Turn the heat off and cover the pan.Place the sugar in a large heavy bottomed saucepan with a silver bottom (avoid nonstick, as the dark coating will make it hard to judge the caramel color). Turn the heat to medium-high, stirring occasionally with a heat proof silicon spatula or wooden spoon. As the sugar melts, continue to stir and shake the pan so all the sugar melts evenly. Once the sugar starts to brown, turn the heat off and let the residual heat of the pan continue to caramelize the sugar. You want the caramel to turn a dark golden brown, closer to chestnut but not mahogany black.
Drizzle the warm dairy into the sugar, carefully just a little bit as the caramel will sputter and steam alarmingly, stirring as the liquid is added, until all the liquid is incorporated. Continue until all the dairy is incorporated. If the caramel seizes up and solidifies, turn the heat to medium-low and stir until the harden caramel has dissolved.
Place the egg yolks and salt in a bowl and stir together with a whisk.
Stir with the whisk and drizzle the hot caramel a tiny bit at a time. You want to slowly heat up the yolks a tiny bit of a time, without scrambling them. Continue to drizzle and add the caramel, whisking the entire time, until all the caramel is incorporated. Stir in the vanilla.
Pour the custard through a sieve to ensure it is silky smooth. Then divide the custard into 6 small ramekins or small 1/2 pint jars. Place ramekin/jars in a baking pan or roasting pan. Place the pan in the oven and carefully pour the boiling water into the baking/roasting pan around the ramekins/jars until it comes up about halfway up the ramekins/jars. Bake the pots de crème for 35 to 40 minutes and remove from the oven. The center of the custard will wiggly slightly but it firms up as it cools.Let the custard cool for 20 minutes in the pan, and then move the jars to the refrigerator to cool and set for 4 hours or overnight.Right before serving, sprinkle the finishing salt over the pots de crème and serve.