I first tried this incredible South American dessert at a friend’s house. I was skeptical that it was homemade because it was that good. Crème Caramel is best made a day ahead making it perfect for dinner parties.

Ingredients

• 1 cup caster sugar
• 2 Tb water
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 can condensed milk
• 1 can evaporated (carnation) milk

Method

1. Pre heat oven to slow, 160C
2. In a small saucepan mix the water and sugar together on a medium heat until it turns to toffee. This requires frequent stirring and patience.*
3. Pour the toffee into either silicone moulds or a larger sealed, heat resistant brownie or cake tray that will fit into a larger tray to make a bay marie.* Allow to set.
4. Blend eggs, condensed milk and evaporated milk together and pour over set toffee.
5. Place crème caramels into the bain marie filled two thirds with water and put into the slow oven for about 30mins or until just set in the middle. (The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the tray used. Larger crème caramels can take up to 45 mins to set.)
6. Take the crème caramels out of the oven and allow to set overnight in the fridge. These can be made a few days in advance as the extra time allows for the hard toffee to melt and become the delicious, golden, caramel sauce.
7. To serve just loosen with a knife around the edge and jiggle a little before turning upside down.
8. Perfect served on its own or your choice of toasted flaked almonds, fresh strawberries, ice cream or whipped cream.

Tips*

While these are relatively easy there are a few things that can go wrong…

• I like to take the toffee as far as it can go without burning it. When you take it off the heat it will continue to cook so take it off a bit earlier than when you think it is ready then dunk in a sink full of water or just allow to rest. If it needs more cooking you can then return to the heat and repeat the process until you have the desired colour and flavour.
• I once made the mistake of trying to use my favourite ceramic pie dish to make this creme caramel. As soon as I poured the toffee in the extreme heat caused it to crack. Hence stick to silicone or metal/ heat resistant tray. You could try ceramic ramekins if the toffee had cooled to thick and nearly set but be warned…
• A Bain Marie is simply a water bath that protects the creme caramel from some of the heat from the oven which would cause the eggs to scramble.
• If you are making these ahead of time then just cover in glad wrap in the fridge until read to turn out. It is a really great dessert for dinner parties as it is sure to impress and can be made so far in advance.