The Cooking Ninja

GONG XI FA CAI

Wishing Everyone Lots of Luck and Prosperity during the Ox Year !

It seems like the year of the ox didn't start off with a big bang ... well it did for Singapore, in the sense that the government, for the first time since they banned fire crackers in 1972, lighted plenty to welcome the Ox Year. We all have the tight purse strings to thank for. For the first time in years, it actually feels really like Chinese New Year! I don't know about you, but for me, the sound of fire crackers is like dispersing the old year and welcome the new with new hopes and wishes.

Unfortunately for me, this new year kicked off with me losing my "best friend". For whatever reasons she ended our friendship, I wish her well and all the best in her endeavours and may she find peace, happiness and love. Perhaps one day if our paths ever cross, we would be able to put aside our differences and get to know each other again. I hope everyone else's year started with a better footing than me.

Today, I would like to introduce you another easy and quick to make family dessert enjoyed by young and old. It's called Oeuf Au Lait or Caramel Custard. My mother-in-law always makes this whenever she finds a bottle of milk that expires either today or tomorrow. Before coming to France, I had never heard or tasted this family dessert and since then, it is one of my favourites. For those who also don't know, this is pretty much the same as Crême brulée except there's caramel below and it's not, well, brulé (burnt) on top.

Oeufs Au Lait (Caramel Custard)

Ingredients

• 1 litres milk
• 6 eggs
• 160 g sugar
• vanilla essence

Caramel

• sugar
• water

Directions

1. Preheat oven at 190°C (375°F - gas mark 5).
2. Pour milk, sugar and vanilla essence in a pot and put it on boil at high heat. Remove pot from heat once it is at boiling point.
3. While the milk is on boil, beat the eggs in a large bowl like you are making omelette.
4. Pour the boiling milk into the beaten egg mixture a little by little while whisking continuously to avoid curdling.
5. Prepare a few ramequin filled some caramel in a bain-marie.
6. Pour the custard mixture into the ramequin.
7. Bake it for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and feels firm to touch.
8. Take out the Caramel Custard and let it cool off completely before putting them in the refrigerator.
9. Serve cold. Eat it right from the ramequin or demould it by running a knife around the ramequin and flip it upside down on a dessert plate.

Preparing Caramel

1. Put some sugar and water in a small pot and heat it up on medium heat.
2. Once it turns bubbling brown and golden, turn off the heat.
3. Pour a bit of the caramel into each ramequin.

The Verdict

It has this nice vanilla flavor with the milk giving it a somewhat silky texture. Yummy! This recipe isn't too sweet like some other people do (which sometimes burns the mouth), and just solid enough.

Notes

For the bain-marie, always use hot water to maintain the temperature of the custard mixture in ramequin.