TABELIA

AUTHENTIC RECIPE

Crème Caramel

Crème Caramel
Difficulty★★☆☆☆ Prep10 min Cook58 min Rest4 hr servings4

A classic French dessert: bittersweet caramel lines the mold beneath a milk-and-egg custard gently set in a water bath. Served in homes and bistros, it is both fundamental and deeply nuanced. Judging caramel’s bitterness and controlling heat to prevent a pitted texture determine the result. After thorough chilling, amber sauce flows out the instant it is unmolded.

Recipe developed and reviewed by the Tabelia Editorial TeamUpdated
100/ 100

AUTHENTICITY SCORE

Authenticity Score

This is the standard recipe, exactly as it’s made where it comes from — the highest Authenticity Score possible. Substituting ingredients changes this score; the app shows exactly how, ingredient by ingredient.

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • Whole milkHeat with vanilla until just below boiling.500 ml
  • EggsUse whole eggs and mix without whipping.4 pieces
  • Granulated sugar for the custard80 g
  • Granulated sugar for the caramelForms the structure of the caramel sauce.100 g
  • Water for the caramelInitial water to dissolve the sugar evenly.30 ml
  • Vanilla beanSplit lengthwise, scrape out seeds and add seeds and pod to the milk.1 pod

Method

18 min

Make the caramel

  • 1 Start boiling a kettle of water for the water bath.
  • 2 Put 100 g granulated sugar and 30 ml water in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook without stirring.
  • 3 Once uniformly deep amber with a toasted aroma and a hint of bitterness, turn off the heat and quickly divide among the bottoms of 4 custard molds.

Ready when

Stopping at light gold leaves too little bitterness; cooking until smoky makes it too bitter.

Deep amber is the signal that it is ready.

25 min

Warm the vanilla milk

  • 1 MeanwhileWhile the milk warms, start preheating the oven to 150°C.
  • 2 Split 1/2 vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife.
  • 3 Put 500 ml milk, the seeds and pod in a saucepan over medium heat. Turn off just before boiling, when small bubbles form around the sides.
37 min

Pour the custard into the molds

  • 1 Mix 4 eggs and 80 g granulated sugar in a bowl without whipping.
  • 2 Gradually stir in the warm milk.
  • 3 Strain until smooth, then gently divide among the caramel-lined molds.
445 min

Bake in a water bath

  • 1 Arrange the molds in a deep tray and pour in hot water to halfway up their sides.
  • 2 Bake in the water bath at 150°C for 40–45 minutes.

Ready when

The custard is cooked when clear liquid rises after insertion of a bamboo skewer.

Caution

A vigorously boiling water bath or an overly hot oven creates tiny air holes in the custard, destroying its smoothness. Keep the oven at 150°C; if the bath starts boiling, add cool water to lower its temperature.

54 hr

Chill thoroughly

  • 1 Let the molds lose their initial heat, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.
  • 2 Chilling firms the custard, the poured egg mixture, while the caramel underneath dissolves into sauce.
63 min

Unmold and finish

  • 1 Remove from the molds.
  • 2 Run the tip of a knife around each mold’s edge, cover with a plate and invert in one movement.
  • 3 Hold the mold and plate together and shake gently up and down; air enters, the custard slips out and caramel sauce flows over it.
A view of Rue Montorgueil, Paris
Rue Montorgueil, ParisA view of France Photo: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized; display cropped)

About this dish

Made only from milk, eggs and sugar, ingredients found in any kitchen, crème caramel is one of France’s longest-loved home desserts. Its origins are uncertain, but it already appears in household menus from the 19th century. While baked custards exist throughout Europe, the French standard became a custard with distinctly bitter caramel lining the base of its mold.

At home it is baked in a large mold and sliced; bistros serve individual portions in small molds. Having also been served for generations in school dining rooms, it is often described across French generations as a taste of childhood.

Even as ready-made cups fill supermarket shelves, making it at home remains a tradition. Thoroughly chilled and inverted onto a plate, the moment its amber sauce flows out is cherished as an experience a packaged version cannot provide.

Chef Authen

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