Salted Caramel Pots de Creme
Yield: 8 servings
Creamy, silky caramel custard is topped with homemade salted caramel and perfectly portioned in this elegant Caramel Pots de Creme recipe.
Ingredients
Caramel Custard
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 5 large egg yolks
Salted Caramel Sauce
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons water
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½″ cubes
- ¼ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
Finish (optional)
- sweetened whipped cream
- chocolate cookie crumbs (such as Oreo)
Instructions
Caramel Custard
- Place rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 300° F. Line a large roasting pan (with sides that are at least 2” tall) with a double layer of paper towels. Then place eight wide-mouth half-pint mason jars on top of the paper towels. Fill a tea kettle with water and put it on to boil. When the water boils, turn off the heat.
- Stir cream and milk together and warm them in the microwave or in a saucepan over medium heat. Set aside.
- Measure out ¼ cup of the sugar and set it aside.
- Put a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of the remaining sugar. As soon as the sugar melts and starts to caramelize, stir it. When the color is uniform, stir in another 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue to stir until it is melted and colored. Continue with the remaining ¼ cup sugar, adding it 2 tablespoons at a time.
- When all the sugar is deep amber, almost mahogany colored, stand away from the pan so you don’t get splattered, and slowly stir in the warmed cream/milk mixture. The mixture will bubble furiously and probably seize up, but don’t panic. Just keep stirring patiently and it will smooth out. Remove pan from heat.
- Add the eggs, yolks, and reserved ¼ cup of sugar to a large glass measuring cup or a small bowl and whisk until pale and slightly thickened. Still whisking, drizzle in a little of the warm caramel liquid. This will gently warm the eggs so they won’t curdle. Whisking constantly, slowly pour in the remaining liquid.
- If there is foam at the top of the custard, skim it off with a spoon. If you leave the foam, it will form little craters on top of the baked custards. Divide the custard evenly between the mason jars.
- Pour enough hot water from the tea kettle into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the mason jars. Cover the pan snugly with foil, poke two holes in two opposite corners and very carefully and steadily slide the pan into the oven.
- Bake the custards for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the tops darken a bit and the custards jiggle a little only in the center when tapped or lightly shaken.
- Very carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Allow the custards to rest in their warm, steamy bath for 10 minutes, then peel off the foil and transfer the mason jars from the hot water (be careful!) to the cooling rack. Refrigerate them when they reach room temperature. When the custards are cool, cover them tightly with their mason jar lids.
Salted Caramel Sauce
- Place cream in a small pitcher. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean and then also add the bean. Set aside.
- Stir sugar, corn syrup, and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush. The mixture will thicken and turn deeper in color. After about 5 to 6 minutes, it should be deep amber in color. Don’t let it get too dark. If it starts to smell a bit burnt, immediately remove pan from heat.
- Very slowly add the vanilla cream. The mixture will bubble vigorously. Whisk over medium heat until smooth and thick, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and salt. Strain into a heatproof bowl. Let cool until just slightly warm.
Finish
- Spoon some of the salted caramel sauce over each pot of caramel custard. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or overnight, to set.
- Serve with small dollops of sweetened whipped cream and a little sprinkle of chocolate cookie crumbs (such as Oreo), if desired.
Notes
Caramel Custard adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. Overall inspiration and Salted Caramel Sauce adapted from bon appetit, (September 2011) "Caramel Budino with Salted Caramel Sauce", originally from Barbuzzo in Philadelphia.
For the Optional Candied Pecan Topping:
- ⅔ cup finely chopped pecans
- 5 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- Preheat the oven to 340°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the chopped pecans evenly across the surface. Toast in the oven for 5–7 minutes, just until fragrant and lightly golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- While the pecans are toasting, prepare the caramel. Place two tablespoons of sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, gradually add the remaining sugar, a spoonful at a time, allowing each addition to melt before adding the next. Continue until all the sugar is fully dissolved and a rich amber caramel has formed.
- Immediately pour the hot caramel over the toasted pecans, spreading it as evenly as possible with a spatula. Let the caramel-coated pecans cool and harden for several minutes.
- Once set, use a sharp knife to chop the caramelized pecans into small, crunchy shards. These candied pecan pieces can be sprinkled generously over the caramel pots de crème just before serving, adding a crisp, nutty contrast to the creamy dessert.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1 Calories: 551kcal Carbohydrates: 50g Protein: 9g Fat: 36g Saturated Fat: 21g Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 280mg Sodium: 234mg Sugar: 48g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.