Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [416]
Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, salt, and the remaining ¾ cup sugar in a large bowl until pale yellow and creamy, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, and vanilla until smooth.
Ladle the mixture into the custard cups, pouring it over the hardened sugar. Set these cups in a 13 × 9-inch baking pan or roasting pan.
Take the water off the heat so it stops boiling. Pull out the oven rack and set the baking pan on it. Slowly pour in the hot water at the pan’s corner until the water comes about halfway up the outsides of the cups.
Slide the rack back into the oven and bake until the custards are set, with a slight wobble just at their centers when jiggled, about 50 minutes.
Remove the hot cups from the hot water bath and cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and continue cooling in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours—or store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To serve: Run a sharp knife under the inside of the cups and invert them onto individual plates, shaking and jostling until the custard comes free and the sauce pours down over it.
To make a single Crème Caramel in a large bowl, pour the caramelized sugar syrup into a 11/2-quart soufflé dish, tilting the dish a bit to get the sugar all over its bottom. Pour in the egg mixture, then bake in the water bath until a knife inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. When cool, run a knife around the outside edge of the custard, invert onto a lipped platter, and jiggle out of its baking dish, letting the caramelized sugar sauce pour over the custard. Slice into wedges to serve, scooping up the sauce with each piece.
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When a pudding is set is a matter of some debate. Some people like a thick pudding, one they can almost cut with a fork. Others like it spoonable and soft.
When you tap the pan in the oven, observe how the custard’s surface moves. It should definitely be firm at the edges but not so firm as to appear solid. The center may still move a bit, but not in waves, more like in waggles, moving as a whole piece.
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Baked Lemon Pudding
This pudding’s actually halfway to being a cake: baked in a large dish, then sliced into wedges. Serve with fresh raspberries or blueberries for a springtime treat. Makes 4 servings
1½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for greasing the baking dish
2/3 cup sugar
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 cup milk (regular, low-fat, or fat-free)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1½ teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
Position the rack in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 375°F. Bring a teakettle of water to a boil over high heat.
Lightly butter a 1-quart, round, high-sided casserole dish; set aside. Whisk 1/3 cup sugar, the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until uniform; set aside as well.
Beat the egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until foamy. Beat in the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in five or six additions, making sure each is dissolved before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally to make sure there are no undissolved granules. Continue beating until the egg whites have doubled in volume and form stiff, glossy peaks when lifted out of the mixture on the tip of a rubber spatula. Set aside.
Clean and dry the beaters. Beat the egg yolks, milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest at medium speed in a large bowl until creamy, smooth, and very thick, about 3 minutes. Beat in the prepared flour mixture, making sure it is all dissolved in the egg yolks.
Use a rubber spatula to fold in about half of the beaten egg whites, using long, even