Crème caramel with kabocha recipe
Crème caramel has become an everyday sweet in Japan. You can find it everywhere, but it tends to be rather different from French crème caramel, as it contains far fewer eggs and is more akin to chawanmushi. Although the texture is much softer and less firm, it resembles the texture of a crème brûlée. The Japanese prefer blond caramel to brown caramel, which is a little too pronounced.
- Prep Time
- 50 minutes
- Cooking Time
- 3 hours
- Servings
- 6
Ingredients
- 180 g sugar
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 2 tablespoons hot water
- 1 kabocha (about 320 g flesh)
- 3 eggs
- 250 ml milk
- 250 ml liquid cream
- Whipped cream (for decoration)
- Mint leaves (for decoration)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 160°C.
- In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and cold water over medium heat until you obtain an amber-colored caramel. Then carefully add the hot water and stir well.
- Divide the caramel between 6 ramekins.
- Cut the kabocha into 2-3 cm pieces. Remove the skin if thick. Place the pieces in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Add a little water and microwave for 8-10 minutes at 600 watts, until the kabocha is tender. Mash the kabocha with a fork and leave to cool. You should obtain approximately 320 g of kabocha flesh. Pass the kabocha flesh through a sieve to obtain a fine purée.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar.
- Heat the milk and cream in a small saucepan over low heat until simmering. Remove from heat.
- Gradually pour the milk-cream mixture into the bowl with the eggs and sugar, stirring constantly. Add the kabocha purée and mix well. Pass the mixture through a sieve to obtain a smooth, homogeneous consistency. Pour the mixture into the ramekins over the caramel.
- Place the ramekins in an ovenproof dish. Fill the dish with hot water up to halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the surface of the creams is set.
- Leave to cool to room temperature, then place the ramekins in the fridge for about 2 hours.
- Before serving, decorate each ramekin with a rosette of whipped cream and a few mint leaves.
