Orange Caramel Custard … fast tracking a simple recipe, making it simpler!

Orange Caramel Custard is yet another version of the quintessential ‘Caramel Custard’ that showed up on our frugal dessert table quite often when we were young. This one is slightly more luxurious, and not like the wobbly one we had as kids from the armed forces. It’s also deliciously orange flavoured, the orange pairing brilliantly with the slightly burnt caramel. Steaming it in the pressure cooker is a breeze. Quick too!I’ve made several versions of this deliciousness. Just a custard, steamed it, baked it too, done a saffron caramel as well. There is something about classic desserts. They allow you to play with the basic recipe infinitely, and never cease to amaze. I’ve had a few misses too, and yet, even if the custard wasn’t perfectly set, it’s ALWAYS been great to taste!

Which is why I love making this Orange Caramel Custard. Even though I’m not an ‘egg custard‘ person, also far from being a sweet toothed one, the ease of making this keeps the family happy. What’s not to love about a five minute prep for a fast track dessert that you can make in advance. Flavoured ever so beautifully with the rind of keenus {local oranges available through winter in North India}, the way the zest pairs with the burnt sugar caramel in nothing short of magic.It takes so little to make something so good. Do try making it!

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Orange Caramel Custard

Yet another version of the quintessential ‘Caramel Custard’ that showed up on our frugal dessert table quite often when we were young. This Orange Caramel Custard is slightly more luxurious, and not like the wobbly one we had as kids from the armed forces. It's also deliciously orange flavoured, the orange pairing brilliantly with the slightly burnt caramel. Steaming it in the pressure cooker is a breeze. Quick too! You can always bake it, though it will take about an hour to cook.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 25 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Caramel

  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar

Orange Custard

  • 1 1/2 cups milk 375ml
  • 250 ml single cream
  • 2 eggs
  • Zest of 1 keenu/orange
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste {or 1vanilla extract
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp cornflour

To top

  • Fresh seasonal fruit toasted nuts etc

Instructions

Caramel

  • Take the 3 tbsp granulated sugar in a 7" cake tin. Heat gently over flame until the sugar begins to bubble and gets caramelised to a golden brown. Be careful not to burn it as it goes from brown to black really quick. Don't leave it unattended.
  • Once the sugar is golden brown, turn off heat, and swirl the pan around to coat the bottom {and sides if you like} with the carmelised sugar.
  • Place on counter to cool, and leave for the caramel to set, 5 minutes usually.

Orange Custard

  • Place a trivet in a large pressure cooker and cover it with water. Water should be about an inch or two above the trivet.
  • Place all ingredients for the orange custard in the jar of blender. I use the KitchenAid Artisan Blender. Whiz at high speed to blend.
  • Once blended, pour over the caramel. {You can starin it if you like}.
  • Tightly cover the tin with aluminium foil, and gently place on trivet in pressure cooker.
  • Turn on the heat, and cook WITHOUT WHISTLE, for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool in pressure cooker.
  • Once cool, take out gently, and leave to chill, covered, for 4-6 hours, preferably overnight.
  • To serve, place a slightly deep or ridged flat plate/pie dish over the tin, and swiflty turn over. The caramel custard will release some liquid that the platter should have space to catch.
  • Top with fresh seasonal fruit, toasted walnuts etc. Serve chilled.

Of Caramel Custard, Mother’s Day and Sunday Stills. The Yin and Yang of life!


“For me, the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity.”
Henri Cartier-Bresson

A post about Caramel Custard, Mother’s Day and Sunday Stills! Also of high key photography. The recent trip down into the heart of South India opened up a new dimension to how I wanted to style and shoot food. Karaikudi meant loads more prop shopping, tons of enamelware included. Strange how it started off a domino effect. My downright dark and moody side opened up to a new love, a new light I have never chased so passionately! Love for light food props, then love for white frames, and eventually a fascination with high key photography. Light tones, pastels, loads of whites, brighter hues, sometimes edging on overexposed. The technical sense still abysmal though! I am still experimenting, still trying to build a level of patience…That was a drastic change from what I have always enjoyed shooting, dark, moody frames. Moody is still my first love, shadows, darkness, deep blacks, blocking light, all reflective of my personality, and definitely of my favourite colour, black!

Caught between yin and yang, swinging between two extremes, my sweet friend Simi asked if I wanted to join her and Dolphia for Sunday Stills. Sunday Stills meant experimenting with testing new levels of photography. That basically meant different experiments with light and techniques, new ways to push our comfort levels. While she is a workhorse, with loads of planning and in-depth research, something that reflects in her stunning styling and images, I am quite the opposite.Often impatient, no time for research, technically pretty incompetent {read pathetic}, yet we share two things. Love for food styling and photography, and food props. We are the queens of procrastination too. Oh yes, and we share a single day between birthdays, Scorpions to the core we are!

So here we go this Sunday. With my #SundayStills, thanks to this hugely inspiring lady, I share with you a little of what I’ve been shooting lately {I have to admit I am also shooting low key, dark images on the side}. Also here for you a recipe for a Caramel Custard that I did for Kitchen Aid. I did another version soon after, the Caramel Flan. Hopefully someday that recipe too will see light of day! While I have baked the custard, you can always steam it the old fashioned way like my Mum used to do. 10-15 minutes in the pressure cooker, placed on a trivet submerged in water, lid on, no cap.

Have a great Sunday, and of course, Happy Mother’s Day!

And before I forget, grateful thanks to Manidipa for the include in her post this morning – 20 Top Female Food Bloggers of India: Mother’s Day Special

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Caramel Custard

My version of the quintessential ‘Caramel Custard’ that showed up on our frugal dessert table quite often when we were young. This one is slightly more luxurious than the wobbly one we had as kids from the armed forces. It's baked, not steamed, though if you are making one large pudding, steaming it in the pressure cooker is a breeze. Quick too!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 4 hours
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Caramel

  • 150 g Castor sugar
  • 20 ml Water

Custard

  • 2 eggs
  • 100 g sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, scraped
  • 200m ml milk
  • 250 ml low fat cream

Instructions

For the Caramel

  • Keep 4 X 8oz ramekins ready and place sugar and water in a heavy bottom saucepan, and stir over medium heat until sugar melts.
  • Increase heat to high, and allow to bubble away without stirring, until it reaches a deep amber colour. {This is the crucial part because the caramel can burn. Also please take extreme caution as caramel is very hot}.
  • Take off heat immediately, and pour into ramekins, turning gently to coat bottoms. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, while you make the custard.

For the Caramel Custard

  • Preheat the oven to 180C
  • Heat milk, cream and shell of vanilla bean in a pan over low heat until slight bubbles form on the edges. Take off heat.
  • Place the eggs, scraped vanilla and sugar in bowl of stand mixer. Whisk on speed 2 for 2 minutes until sugar is almost dissolved.
  • Reduce speed to lowest, put the splatter screen, and gently pour in the vanilla infused milk, whisking continuously for 30 seconds.
  • Strain the custard into a jug/saucepan, and then pour into the prepared ramekins.
  • Place ramekins in a 9′ X 9″ square pan. Gently pour in water into the tray to come up half around the ramekins. – –
  • Bake for about 45 minutes until the custard begins to set, a bit wobbly in the middle.
  • Allow to cool, then chill covered for a few hours, preferably overnight.
  • To serve, run a butter knife gently around the tip to loosen it, place a platter over the ramekin, turn over swiftly, and then shake to release. Top with toasted walnuts if desired.
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