Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Classic Crème Caramel 4.0 (61) This decadent dessert is a French bistro classic. Close Credit: decorvow Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr Total Time: 5 hrs 20 mins Servings: 10 to 12 Yield: 2 4-cup desserts. Jump to recipe Our classic crème caramel recipe produces a creamy, just-sweet-enough custard with a deeply flavored caramel top. Using a whole vanilla bean infuses the custard with pure vanilla flavor and visible dark specks of vanilla. This recipe makes two four-cup desserts, which each serve between five and six people. It’s the perfect dessert for a dinner party or when feeding a larger crowd and makes a show-stopping finish to any meal. Take your time when making the caramel—the key is to start the sugar mixture over low heat (without stirring) to give the grains a chance to dissolve before increasing the heat to high and swirling the pans as the caramel deepens in color. 32 Classic French Recipes That Bring the Bistro Closer to Home Equipment for Crème Caramel Charlotte molds: You will need two four-cup charlotte molds: bucket shaped molds that are wider at the top than the bottom and traditionally used for charlotte desserts. They are available in a variety of materials, from stainless steel to silicone, though we recommend sticking with stainless steel for this recipe as you'll be cooking the caramel directly in the pans on your stovetop. Roasting pan: A roasting pan large enough to fit both molds comfortably is used to gently cook the custards in a water bath so they don't tighten up or overcook. You can also use the roasting pan for the ice bath in step two if you do not have a similarly large pan (or two smaller containers) to hold the ice water. Medium saucepan: You'll need a medium saucepan to warm the milk and cream mixture in step one. It should be able to comfortably hold at least five cups of liquid. Fine-mesh sieve: After incorporating the warmed milk mixture into the egg mixture, you'll want to strain it to catch any solid pieces of egg; straining also helps to eliminate air bubbles. A fine-mesh sieve is ideal for this, but you can use a colander lined with a double layer of cheesecloth as well. Caramel can go from pleasantly dark to bitter and burnt in a matter of seconds, so be sure to have your ice bath(s) ready before beginning to cook the sugar mixture. Directions Prepare ice bath(s); cook caramel over low heat: Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Divide sugar evenly between two 4-cup charlotte molds; add 2 tablespoons water to each and swirl to combine (do not stir). Place molds over low heat; cover, and cook until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat and continue to cook: Uncover molds and increase heat to high; cook, swirling, until sugar mixture begins to caramelize. Plunge into ice water: Remove from heat and immediately plunge molds into ice-water baths to stop cooking, about 30 seconds. Swirl caramel to evenly cover bottom of molds; set aside. Heat oven and warm milk mixture for custard: Preheat oven to 325°F. Make the custard: Place cream, milk, and vanilla bean and seeds or extract in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat for 5 minutes. Whisk egg mixture; add milk mixture, strain, and pour into molds: Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk sugar with eggs and egg yolks until light and fluffy. Remove vanilla bean from milk mixture; whisking constantly, gradually add milk mixture to egg mixture. Strain and divide custard evenly between both charlotte molds. Bake in water bath; let cool, then refrigerate: Place charlotte molds in a roasting pan. Add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the molds. Transfer pan to oven and bake until custard is firm, about 45 minutes. Remove custards from pan and let cool; transfer to refrigerator until chilled. Be sure to refrigerate crème caramel until thoroughly chilled before unmolding, at least four hours or overnight. Unmold and invert; serve: To unmold, run a sharp knife or offset spatula around the edge of the custard; dip mold into hot water to help remove if necessary. Quickly invert onto serving dish. Pour any remaining caramel around the custard; serve. Storage Crème caramel can be refrigerated, covered, for up to five days. Other Custard Recipes to Try: Coconut Custard Pie Favorite Creme Brulée Lemon Custard Tarts Classic Flan Chocolate Pots de Crème Rhubarb Custard Pie Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.