Festive Rum and Cinnamon infused Crème Caramel

Winter holiday festivities are in full swing and what better way to celebrate it and put on the usual holiday weight by enjoying something sweet and delightful!

This simple, yet elegant dessert is very easy to make and serve this up to your friends and family and they’ll be mighty impressed with you.

So, using the basic crème caramel recipe I added my own personal twist to it to make it a more festive dessert which you and everyone else can enjoy! And yes, the time it takes to make it as seen below may seem daunting, but don’t worry cos most of this time is spent cooking in the oven. Have fun!

(Preparation/Cooking time: 1Hr 15-20 Minutes, Difficulty Level: 3 – S’Alright)

(Suitable for Vegetarians)

Ingredients (Serves about 4-5):

• 4 Large eggs/5 Medium Eggs
• White Caster Sugar
• Semi-Skimmed/Whole Milk
• Crème Fraiche
• Rum
• Cinnamon Powder
• Butter/Margerine/Spray Oil
• (Optional) Berries (Frozen or Fresh)

Equipment:

• Oven-proof Ramekins
• Casserole Dish
• Small/shallow Pan
• Mixing Bowl
• Whisk
• (Optional) Grease Proof Paper/Baking Parchment/Silpat Pad

Directions:

1)      Start by greasing up the inside of your ramekins either with some butter or your spray oil and place them into your casserole dish.

Next, we take on the trickiest part of the recipe…Caramel! But don’t worry, follow my steps carefully and everything will be A-OK.

2)      Pour about a cup of sugar into the dry shallow pan, place on top of the hob and turn it on to a low-medium heat.

• You don’t want to turn the heat up too high or everything will burn instantly.

3)      Once you see the edge of the sugar melting, slowly swirl the pan around to stop the bottom from burning and to evenly melt all the sugar.

• Keep swirling until all the sugar is melted and do not use anything to stir it whatsoever.

4)      Once you don’t see any white sugar in the pan, take it off the heat and pour it evenly into your ramekins and set aside for later.

• Remember to turn off your hob.

5)      In your mixing bowl, break 1 whole egg and 3 yolks if using large eggs or 2 whole eggs and 3 yolks if using medium eggs.

6)      Next, add ½ cup of caster sugar and whisk it up until most of the sugar feels like it has dissolved and you get a pale-ish yellow mixture.

7)      For the flavour, add as much rum and cinnamon as you like (or you would dare) into your mixture.

• For me, I put in 2 caps of Rum and a ½ tsp of cinnamon.

8)      Finally, add ½ cup of crème fraiche and ½ cup of milk  and whisk it all together until you get a smooth consistency.

9)      Carefully and evenly ladle your mixture into the ramekins about 4/5 of the way.

10)   Pour some hot water into the casserole dish until about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

11)   Place into your oven at Gas Mark 3/140-160°C and slowly bake for 30-40 minutes.

• You will know when they are done by giving them a little shake. If the centre of it wobbles a little like jelly and is firm and not like liquid, they are ready.
• Overcooking them will make them less smooth and more like sponge, so be wary of the timings and keep a look out on them.

12)   Take them out when done and let them cool for a few minutes before serving.

13)   To serve, run a wet knife around the edge until you see caramel coming up from the sides. Flip it onto a plate and Serve and Enjoy!

• You can either serve them straight away when they’re warm or you can flip them out and place into fridge to serve them cold.

Optional Decoration Extras:

Berries:

• If using frozen berries, defrost them quickly by placing into a bowl and pouring some hot water over them and let them sit until fully defrosted.
• Once defrosted, before arranging them on your crème caramel, dab it on a little bit of kitchen towel to drain off any excess juice which may run into your dessert.

Sugar Top Decoration:

• Making a sugar decoration is very easy.
• When you turn out the caramels from the ramekins, there will always be a little bit of caramel residue at the bottom.

• Place your ramekins into the microwave for about 30-40 seconds.
• Using a towel or oven glove, carefully take it out and slowly pour lines of caramel onto a sheet of your grease proof paper.

• Make some random decorations and when it cools and hardens, carefully remove from the paper and place atop your crème caramel.

So, there we go! My festive Rum and Cinnamon Crème Caramel. I hope you have a go at making it and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!!!