Crème caramel
Crème caramel (upside-down caramel cream) is a classic of bistro cuisine. The vanilla cream is made with eggs, cooked in a dish with a layer of caramel in the bottom, and placed in a bain-marie. It's traditionally served turned out so that the liquid caramel runs down over the cream.
265 K 4.1/5 (22 reviews)
3 hours 35 min.
Easy
4 people
5 IngredientsLast modified on: February 21th 2011
For 4 people, you will need:
- 1
1⁄3 cup caster sugar - 2
2 cups + 2 tablespoons Milk - 3
½ vanilla pod - 4 ½ cup caster sugar
- 5
3 eggs
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 45 min.
Resting: 2 hours 10 min.
Cooking: 40 min.
All in all: 3 hours 35 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 15 min.
Prepare a light caramel with 1⁄3 cup caster sugar.
Please note: It's important that the caramel should be light and not dark as it will continue cooking during the rest of the process, and so risk becoming overcooked and bitter.
Please note: It's important that the caramel should be light and not dark as it will continue cooking during the rest of the process, and so risk becoming overcooked and bitter.
Stage 2 - 2 min.
Pour a little liquid caramel into the bottom of a ramekin...
Stage 3 - 1 min.
... and turn the ramekin so that the caramel coats the base and sides. Pour any excess back into the pan (don't worry for now if there are dribbles around the top of the dish).
Warning: This is a tricky moment, and liquid caramel is burning hot and very dangerous. It is wise to keep young children well clear, and to protect your hands with oven gloves while handling the ramekins (not like I am doing in the photos).
Warning: This is a tricky moment, and liquid caramel is burning hot and very dangerous. It is wise to keep young children well clear, and to protect your hands with oven gloves while handling the ramekins (not like I am doing in the photos).
Stage 4 - 10 min.
Do this with all the ramekins.
Stage 5 - 10 min.
Pour 2 cups + 2 tablespoons Milk into a pan with ½ vanilla pod, scraped to remove the small black seeds inside, and bring to the boil over medium heat.
Preheat oven to 180°C (360°F), and boil a kettle (or large pan) of water.
Preheat oven to 180°C (360°F), and boil a kettle (or large pan) of water.
Stage 6 - 5 min.
Meanwhile pour ½ cup caster sugar into a bowl and add 3 eggs. Mix well with a maryse.
Pour the boiling milk over, and beat to mix.
Pour the boiling milk over, and beat to mix.
Stage 7 - 10 min.
Pour the mixture through a strainer, preferably over a high-sided container, to remove the bits of vanilla pod.
Leave to rest 10 minutes, then skim off any foam that forms on the surface.
Leave to rest 10 minutes, then skim off any foam that forms on the surface.
Stage 8 - 40 min.
Place the ramekins in a large, deep baking sheet, then fill them with cream and put in the oven. Pour boiling water into the tray, then close the oven door and leave to cook around 40 minutes.
Stage 9 - 2 hours
Check that the creams are cooked, like testing a cake, then remove from the oven and leave at least an hour to cool to room temperature.
Then refrigerate overnight.
Then refrigerate overnight.
Stage 10
Serve by turning out onto dessert plates or dishes. Overnight the caramel will have liquified, and will now run down over the cream.
Remove from the fridge an hour before serving if possible so that the cream is not too cold.
Remove from the fridge an hour before serving if possible so that the cream is not too cold.
Remarks
You will notice that this cream uses whole eggs. This makes it firmer than the cream used for crème brulée for example, so that it can be turned out easily.
If you make this dessert for your children or grandchildren, you'll find there's no more talk of desserts from packet mixes.
If you make this dessert for your children or grandchildren, you'll find there's no more talk of desserts from packet mixes.
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, covered by a plastic film.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 40 RDI=20 % | 190 RDI=20 % | 40 RDI=6 % | 1,310 RDI=70 % | 5,510 RDI: 70 % |
| Per 100 g | 5 RDI=2 % | 20 RDI=2 % | 4 RDI=1 % | 160 RDI=8 % | 670 RDI: 8 % |
| Per person | 10 RDI=4 % | 50 RDI=5 % | 10 RDI=2 % | 330 RDI=20 % | 1,380 RDI: 20 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 4 people : 2.40 €
- Per person : 0.60 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Milk
Like these other recipes: Toasted almond cake, Pretzels, Pancake batter, Household cake (Gâteau de ménage), Jam doughnuts, ... See them all 60
Caster sugar
Like these other recipes: Chouquettes, Apple Tatin Terrine, Kugelhof for Nanou, Half-cooked chocolate cake with raspberry coulis, Brioche royale, ... See them all 360
Egg
Like these other recipes: Génoise (Genoa sponge), Brioche tart with Comté cheese, Pogne de Romans, Leek and tuna loaf, Sesame fried scampi, ... See them all 236
Vanilla pod
Like these other recipes: How to use a vanilla pod effectively, Panna cotta, Real custard sauce (crème anglaise), Caramelized pear custard tart, Lemon Confectioner's Custard, ... See them all 35
Other recipes you may also like
Blackcurrant-almond muffins
Blackcurrant muffins with a rather special ground almond dough. Blackurrants give a delicious hint of acidity, which goes very well with the almond flavour.February 21th 2011262 K3.8 50 min.
"Oeufs rabattus" with leeks
This quick French way of cooking eggs is similar to an omelette, but with the egg simply drawn in towards the centre during the brief cooking. The eggs here are cooked with sautéed leeks and served with delicious morteau sausage "crisps".March 29th 201743 K4.3 45 min.
Enchiladas
Enchiladas are tortillas (cornmeal pancakes), filled with a pre-cooked filling, then topped with grated cheese and browned in the oven.May 8th 201961 K 1 hour 45 min.
Caramelised apple pie
Apple pie made with caramelised apples.September 11th 2018261 K4.3 1 hour 55 min.
Herb salad
Herb salad is a small salad made with leaves of all kinds of aromatic herbs, it's highly flavoured, and should be considered almost as a condiment. It really is a salad, the leaves are not chopped.October 13th 2010231 K4.6 25 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-06-08)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.