caramel craving

i must apologise for the no show in march.. my excuse..too many parties.
birthday parties that is. So i have decided to post adam's absolute favourite dessert -which i made for his birthday of course! Again it is based on stephanie alexander's a cooks companion recipe.. this is the second time i have made this ..and it is pretty fool proof.

not only did i double the quantity which allowed me to have three servings of it...yum!!! i also doubled the infusion of oranges...in both syrup and custard. i remember eating the seville orange creme caramel at neil perry's rockpool and their orangey caramel sauce was soooo good i wanted to lick the plate..actually i think i did!?




orange infused creme caramel


serves 4

2 eggs
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons castor sugar
350ml milk
zest of 1/2 orange

caramel
1 cup castor sugar
1/2 cup water
zest of 1/2 orange

500 ml ramekin / souffle dish

warm milk in a small saucepan and add zest 1hr prior.

pre heat oven 160 deg.

to make the caramel sauce dissolve sugar in water in a small saucepan over medium heat.
bring to boil DO NOT STIR brush sides of pan with a wet pastry brush too avoid crystals forming on the sides of pan.
add the zest and increase heat, boiling till till you have a deep golden carmel.

remove from heat and allow to rest till all bubbles have gone then pour into dish and CAREFULLY as the caramel is extremely hot! turn dish to coat sides evenly.

lightly whisk eggs, yolks and sugar together -no need for an electric mixer here.
then pour in milk.
strain [or if you're like me and couldn't be bothered -don't!] into caramel lined dish.

place into a large baking dish and pour in hot water to come halfway up sides.

bake for 45mins or until just set. remove from baking dish and place in the fridge overnight.

to serve, place a large plate over dish and invert... the caramel will pour over and down the sides of the custard and you'll not want to share any of it!

i wish it was still in the fridge!

enjoy!