Orange creme caramel

Over many years, I have been a reader of Gourmet magazine, used their recipes and adapted them. When Gourmet went out of business, my subscription was transferred to Bon Appetit. I am grateful to share their recipes and good cooking from around the world, all captured now on the website www.epicurious.com

One of the most elegant desserts: orange creme caramel

This recipe was originally published in Gourmet in January 2002. I tried it for two reasons: I now have a good source of whole goat's milk; and oranges are in season. It is elegant in its simplicity and the very few ingredients it uses. Oranges in Trinidad though are almost a different fruit from those in North America or almost anywhere else in the world. The skins are never uniformly orange or yellow, to be ripe, and may sometimes remain evenly green. The rind is more distinctively citric and oily. And the juice even when fully ripe retains tang and tartness with the sweet.

So here is the Trini version of Orange (Creme) Caramel.

Oranges, two large (Valencia or Queen suggested)

Sugar, one and three-quarter cups (light brown sugar is my choice)

Whole milk, 3 cups

Eggs, three whole, 3 yolks only

Grate zest from the oranges.

Squeeze juice from these oranges, should be enough for a cup.

Put juices in a heavy pan and add one cup of sugar. Boil over moderate heat until sugar is dissolved. Rotate the pot gently to wash all the sugar and froth. Continue to cook gently until the syrup turns golden, about 10-15 minutes cooking in all. Divide among six to eight ramekins.

Golden caramel with intense orange flavour

Pre-heat oven to 325F.

Simmer milk with orange zest over moderate heat. Do not boil. Allow to simmer gently for 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let the milk cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

Whisk eggs and the remaining sugar in a bowl. Eggs should not be frothy. Add milk. Pour the mixture through a sieve, pressing out the solids to be discarded. Pour the mixture into the ramekins. Arrange in a large baking pan. Pour water into the pan halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake in the middle of the oven until the custard is set on the sides, still wobbly in the centre, about 50 minutes.

Custard over the caramel

Remove from the water bath to cool. Chill in the refrigerator before serving. 

Serve in the ramekins. Or, run a knife around the edges and invert over a plate. Use a spoon to scrape the orange caramel over the creme.

Just cooked - chill for a couple hours before serving