Easy Creme Caramel In 20min without cream

Creme caramel or cream caramel? hmmm, good question, ‘creme’ is a french term and it originated from France so it is traditionally called creme instead of cream.

Every country has adopted its way of doing or replicating the same dish in terms of a flan, creme brulee, crema Catalana, milk pudding but the basic creme caramel remains pretty simple and pretty darn easy to make. This dessert was actually my first practical cooking test in my hotel school in Sri- Lanka. It brings a lot of memories. When I was 16, I joined a hotel school in Sri Lanka to learn the basics of cooking.

My dad (Rohan Fernandopulle) being the culinary guru in Sri Lanka was pretty nervous that I would mess up this simple dessert, truth be told, I sure did mess up this dessert. He took me to Hilton to teach me how to make a cream caramel and I actually up to date use the exact same technique to make my caramel pudding.

I remember the chefs there was so proud to teach me different ways of making the pudding. It was quite different from the way my mother made it, but it was super simple. My mom didn’t make a lot of desserts but if she made one, this would certainly be the one.

I would never forget when I finally had to make this dessert for my practical exam, I dropped the whole tray and I didn’t have a dish to be scored hahahhahah I told you I messed up I am sure my father looks back now and must be thinking, I don’t know how she got here ahhahahah well daddy I hope you are proud now.

oh not forgetting, he made me make at least 30 creme caramels at home to practice this dish, well I am sure my pudding was good, but I simply couldn’t present it.

I am not using any cream to make this dessert, and this is my go-to dessert when I want a quick fix and especially when I have to make it for a large crowd.

There is a trick for this recipe

It is very important to boil the milk and add to the eggs while it is hot because that’s what is going to bind the whole caramel together. so don’t skip that step

How to make creme caramel without an oven

yes, you heard it right, I make mine in the rice cooker, now you don’t need a rice cooker to do it, you simply need a double boiler. when I cook mine in the rice cooker, I add water to the bottom and steam it.

How to cook the caramel pudding

Direct ovenOven on top of a water bathRice cookerSteamerOn the stove on top of a water bath

The reason why I use a water bath is that I love the texture when it is steamed, with little holes in it.

How to make creme caramel sauce

Its pretty simple, it is basically caramelised sugar, now you can do this two ways, you can caramelise sugar directly in a pan without any water ( this is highly technical)

or you can add sugar and water and caramelise in a pan ( this is way easier then you don’t have to be worried about the caramel burning too soon)

Just watch the caramel-like a hawk if you take it out of the fire too soon, then it will be light in colour and will not set on the bottom of the container.

if it is too caramelised then you will taste a burnt aftertaste once cooked.