Salted caramel pots de creme

Hi all, yes my summer vacations are over and here I am back to my pevilion :)   I did quite an few relaxed baking though, those, will try updating to you guys soon.  Back to Baking partners challenge, this month - Tamy had suggested us two wonderful custard based recipes.  I had choosen, this salted caramel pots de creme. 

Pots de creme, is an french based dessert which refers to an pots of custard or cream.  They are prepared with egg yolks, milk, cream and an flavoring (which here, is caramel).  The mixture so obtained, after straining  are baked in waterbath, cooled  and are refrigerated overnight for an firm custard.   These pots looked gorgeous after an sea salt sprinkle, would have be better with an whipped cream as well.  The firm crusted top with an gooey filling was like chewing into an toffee. The sea salt complemented very well with caramel filling and gave an crunchable texture to pots de creme.   At home, everybody enjoyed and licked the  ramekins clean  :)  Thanks to Tamy and Swathi for such an wonderful challenge.  Nothing would have cheered my family better :)

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes (For caramel sauce)

Baking time: 40 minutes

Yield: 3 servings

Ingredients required: 

• 3/4 cups of whole granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup of water
• 3/4 cup of amul fresh cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 egg yolks
• Few sea salt, to sprinkle

Method:

First, place ramekins in an baking dish and pour water so that half the  ramekins are immersed into the water.  Pre-heat the oven to 160 degree celsius and place this set-up in the oven.  

Combine water, sugar and salt in an non-stick pan.  Let the sugar dissolve in water.  After dissolving, rise the stove heat to medium-high so that the syrup boils.  DO NOT STIR.  Watch the syrup carefully, after few minutes, the syrup will change colour from white to pale golden colour.  This is the crucial point, if you feel the colour is not uniform, just  tilt your pan.  When the pale golden, turns brownish, remove the pan from flame.  

Alternatively, I had combined cream and milk in another pan and heated them as well.  Please note that both syrup and cream should be in warm state when mixing, if not cream might curdle.  

I took out the syrup pan, and added warm cream-milk to it, the syrup  will steam and rise above.  Slowly whisk and combine syrup with cream.  If not whisked properly, sugar will harden.  

Now place this pan over heat on an simmer note and mix in gradually.  Take them off after an minute.

In another vessel, add egg yolks and whisk them till they turn pale and frothy.  

To this, add the prepared caramel sauce.  Mix them thoroughly.

After mixing, this passes through the metal strainer.

The collected batter is poured into ramekins and baked for about forty minutes, till they are set.

They are cooled in wire rack and refrigerated overnight.  Sprinkle them with sea salt before serving.  

Happy baking :)

Linking this to Swathi Iyer's Baking partners