Wiggle Jiggle Yellow Middle~

Because I'm mighty lazy, I only post pictures of my food on Facebook and tag whoever I think will be interested. It's about to change now~

If you think this post is familiar; then you're probably my contact on Livejournal (or LJ; as we affectionately call it) :D

I came out of hiding from my super private Facebook account to share my own version of creme caramel pudding to an LJ friend, who has celiac disease (meaning she's bound to have a gluten-free lifestyle for the remainder of her life). I love pastries and I love having it with my breakfast and afternoon teas.

But actually knowing someone who has celiac disease made me appreciate how fortunate I am to eat gluten-laden foods. She learned that she had this disease recently and I understand it could feel weird to transition from being carefree to gluten-free.

lost_hitsu of LJ, you inspired me to broaden my cooking horizons and to think of dishes that are sensitive to the needs of people with celiac disease. For now, all I could think of was making this dessert.

Crème Caramel Pudding

I've checked Youtube and other cooking sites and people have different approaches to making this dessert. What makes this dessert a classic is its simplicity and longevity when stored in the fridge.

It's known by many names: custard, flan, creme caramel pudding, etc. Where I come from, we call it leche flan. I prefer calling it creme caramel because when I first learned this recipe, the chef called it creme caramel.

In the Philippines, the custard pudding is best enjoyed with mangoes and a sticky rice cake called suman. My parents are fond of adding some sweet purple yam called ube to this ensemble. We have this in the morning or as an afternoon snack. Speaking of snack, the shaved ice treat called halo-halo has this as one of its topping. I was a very picky eater when I was a kid and I remember that whenever my Mum buys me a glass of halo-halo, I would only eat the custard :D

I've seen most people use a whole egg for this. But I prefer a dense and more decadent, almost bittersweet creme caramel pudding. So I only use egg yolks and cook my caramel until it's on the brink of burning to have this lovely slightly bitter contrast to the rich custard.

This recipe is good to fit in a standard cake tin; or medium-sized Bundt cake mold; or 6 ramekins. I'm not really particular with containers; so you could have your freedom with how you'll steam this baby.

Ingredients

8-10 egg yolks

1 small can of condensed milk

1-2 tsp of lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla essence

3-4 tbsp fresh milk (add more for a softer pudding consistency; you could add up to 1 cup of milk)

1 cup white sugar

2-3 tbsp water

Directions

1. Grease the inside of your chosen pudding mould.

2. Beat the egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and add the condensed milk. Mix well.

3. Pour in the fresh milk and add the lemon zest and vanilla extract. Mix well again. Make sure not to create too much air bubbles. Set aside.

4. In a sauce pan, mix 1 cup of white sugar and 3 tbsp of water. Add 2 tbsp more water if desired. Thoroughly dissolve the sugar in the water before turning on the heat.

5. This stage takes a lot of patience. Melt the sugar in low heat, take care not to mix it with spoon or spatula. If you must evenly distribute the heat or the liquid, simply hold the handle of your pan and swirl around the syrup. NOTE: If you stir it, the sugar will harden and it will become candy instead of syrup.

6.I prefer a slightly bitter syrup; but if you're not into that, you could wait a few more minutes until the syrup turns a light amber color. Then, remove the pan from heat.

7. Using a tablespoon, baste 1 tbsp of water at a time to thin the syrup. Be careful when doing this as the syrup tends to splash from the change in temperature.

8. When you reach a desired consistency, spoon your syrup to cover the bottom of your pudding mould. Swirl your mould around to cover the base evenly. Leave it for 5 minutes to solidify the surface of your caramel.

9. After 5 minutes, pour your custard mixture into the pudding moulds. Gently tap your mould to remove air bubbles.

10. Cover the mould with aluminum foil and put in a steamer.

IF you don't have a steamer, you could improvise by using a deep and wide pan. Put a folded tea towel at the base of the pan. Once you put the pudding mould in, fill the pan with water to cover the bottom half of the mould.

11. Steam for 30 minutes. Cool for 10-15 minutes before storing in an air-tight container and chilling in the refrigerator.

12. Pop this baby into a fancy saucer and enjoy as a dessert or accompaniment to your tea.