Cooking Fresh Winter 2019
Athena Calderone is the voice and curator behind EyeSwoon, an online lifestyle destination for food, entertaining, fashion and interior design. In her debut cookbook, Cook Beautiful, Calderone shares ...
Ingredients
For the Pots de Crème
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and scraped
- ½ stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- Flaky sea salt, for serving
- Unsweetened fresh whipped cream, for serving
- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds, toasted, for serving
- Toasted kasha (recipe follows), for serving
For the Caramel Sauce
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Toasted Kasha
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil
- 1 cup kasha
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Preparation
Makes 6 servings
Make the Pots de Crème
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 300°F. Put 6 (6-ounce) ramekins into a baking pan.
2. Bring the cream and milk to a boil over medium heat in a small saucepan and then remove from heat. Add the vanilla bean seeds and pod, cover and infuse while you prepare the custard.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar. Cook, without stirring, for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is amber hued, the consistency of sand and smells mildly nutty. Discard the vanilla pod and slowly whisk in the cream and milk over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt.
4. Bring a kettle of water to a boil and then set it aside. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they are pale and thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the cream mixture in a slow, steady stream, stirring constantly, until it’s fully combined with the yolks. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then divide it evenly among the ramekins; each should be about ¾ full. Skim away any foam from the surface. Fill the baking pan with the hot water until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan with foil and prick the foil with a fork.
5. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the custards are set on the sides but still jiggle in the center. Transfer the ramekins to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
Make the Caramel Sauce
1. In a medium saucepan, heat the sugar and 2 tablespoons water over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the liquid to a boil, gently swirling but never stirring it. If the sugar starts to crystallize, use a pastry brush dipped in water to wipe down the sides of the pan. After about 5 minutes, when the sugar is deep amber, remove it from the heat and whisk in the cream, butter, salt, tahini and lemon juice. Set aside and let it cool to room temperature.
Before serving, bring the custards to room temperature. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and serve topped with a dollop of whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce, a sprinkle of toasted kasha and sesame seeds.
Toasted Kasha
Makes about 1 cup
In a small saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat until melted. Add the kasha and salt and sauté, tossing continuously, until the grain releases a nutty fragrance and becomes golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with additional salt to taste and set aside to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
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