1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 for the custard:
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup half and half
Directions
FOR THE CARAMEL: Heat the oven to 375F. For the caramel, combine the
sugar and water in a small saucepan. Swirl the pan until the sugar is
dissolved, then cover the pan and cook over medium high heat until
thick and large bubbles form. Uncover the pan, and cook until a rich,
brown color. Watch the caramel, since it burns very quickly once it
begins to color. Pour the syrup into the bottom of a mold, and rotate
to cover the bottom and up a few inches of the sides evenly. Set
aside. For the custard, whisk the eggs, yolks and sugar in a mixing
bowl. Heat the vanilla, milk and half and half until hot to the
touch, about 150F. Slowly add this to the egg mixture, and pour into
the prepared mold. Place the mold in a baking pan, and place in the
oven. Pour boiling water into the baking pan so it is half way up the
sides of mold. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until a kniefe inserted
in the center comes out cleam. Cool at room temperature, then
refrigerate and serve chilled. To serve, invert the mold over a
platter with sides to catch the caramel sauce. Note: The custard can
be made up to two days in advance. If made in advance, refrigerate,
covered with plastic wrap.
Servings: 8 servings
Caramel Custard Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Candy; Dessert
The History of Recipes
It is quite possible to prove the history of transcribed cooking instructions way back into the far past, certainly as far as the early Egyptians, and possibly even further. Having said that, in the main part, these ancient records were just primitive hieroglyphic instructions for food preparation.
Interestingly, the oldest recipe found, according to food historians is a collection of stone tablets in ancient Sumerian which describe the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who tried it feel blissful and exhilarated. As we move into The time of the romans 25BC a roman called Apicius assembled a collection of documents detailing recipes prepared by wealthy Romans. In his scrolls, he tells us how the roman meals were separated into starters, main course and dessert, a style of dining still practiced today. Additionally, he describes how the Romans were skilled in the use of many aromatic flavors, including many that are still in use today like thyme, rue and asafoetida. Moving on, we have a couple of cookery books dating from the 1300s ; a book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary entitled `Curye on Inglish`. Perhaps surprisingly, they are not about the indian food that is popular today, but rather recipes for the types of food prepared by the cooks of the rich people of the time. Later, in the 15th century, knights returning from the crusades brought back a variety of foods, spices and herbs from the East, including spices such as basil and coriander. These new foods and spices led to an increase in recipe manuscripts, many of which still exist in private libraries. During the next few hundred years, the upper-class families of Europe competed to lay on the most exotic banquets, and as a result chefs and their recipe collections could command a high salary. Nevertheless, it was during the nineteenth century that fine cookery and recipe collections really came of age. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, spent years to collating, trying out, and recording recipes to allow everyone to enjoy them. By the time we get to the twentieth century, cooking books are highly popular due to increased literacy, more spare time and having more money to spend. Like it or not, the introduction of TV brings us TV cooks and the accompanying recipe books. Which pretty much brings us up to date and the internet revolution, permitting everybody to access massive numbers of recipes like the ones you can find on sites such as this. |
We hope you enjoy this Caramel Custard recipe.
