CREME CARAMEL

Mrs Vanilla Cow getting the good stuff out,  Island Style                                                                                Monique Mrazek

I recently spent a week in the Seychelles. Shoo man! All those hibiscuses, frangipanis and colourful plants that I don’t know the names of, make everything so vibrant and happy happy. The locals are friendly and the beaches are beyond amazing. But you know me, the first gap I got, I was off to local market, which was all about the fruit, fish and spices. Now, in your baggage, fruit gets squishy and fish gets smelly, so it was spices that made the trip back home with me. Those little reused airplane spirit bottles, on which vanilla essence was scribbled in cokey pen, were my favourite. I know, I know, ‘us snobs’ should use extract not essence, but let me tell you those bottles are a fifth of the price that Woolies charge for their extract and a zillion times more velvety, luxurious and intoxicating. Anyway, wotz the diffs between the two? All I know is that I had to do this essence justice, so I made the classic and most genius of desserts, a ‘crème caramel’. It’s classic, coz it’s looks so stylish and tastes so adult (with that touch of bitterness). It’s genius, coz it’s jolly clever how the caramelised lining of the dish dissolves and allows the pud to slide out when you do the flamboyant flip, but wot makes it most clever is it only needs four everyday ingredients.

MUM’S CLASSIC DINNER PARTY CRÈME CARAMEL

Market                                                            Charlie

Caramel
220g - white sugar
4 – tablespoon water
Heat sugar in the cold water over fairly low heat. Stir till sugar has dissolved. Allow to boil without stirring till golden brown. Remove from heat and stir well. Pour into mould, twisting mould to coat bottom and sides.
Custard 
4 - large eggs, 500ml – milk
225g – sugar 1 good dash – vanilla essence/extract


Lightly beat eggs and sugar. Warm milk, but don’t boil. Add vanilla essence and whisk into eggs. Pour into mould. Bake in a bain marie for about 40mins at 180°C. Leave to cool before doing your flamboyant flip onto a plate with a lip high enough to catch the scrummy golden syrup.

The Dessert Trolley Classic                                                                                                                                               Mans