Ingredients
Caramel
- 200 gcaster sugar
- 60 mlwater
- 1 tsplemon juice
Custard
- 750 mlwhole milk
- 4large eggs plus 2 extra yolks
- 150 gcaster sugar
- 1 tspvanilla extract, or 1 vanilla pod split
- 1strip lemon peel
- 1 pinchfine salt
Equipment
- 6ramekins of 150 ml, a deep roasting tin, a kettle of boiling water
Directions
- Heat the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small heavy pan over medium heat without stirring, swirling the pan occasionally, until it turns a deep amber that just begins to smoke at the edge, about 8 minutes.
- Pour it immediately into the ramekins, tilting each to coat the base, and set aside; it sets glassy within a minute.
- Warm the milk with the lemon peel and vanilla until it steams, then leave it to infuse off the heat for 10 minutes and lift out the peel.
- Whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar and salt together just until combined. Whisking air in gives a foamy, bubbly custard rather than a dense one.
- Pour the warm milk into the eggs in a thin stream, whisking slowly, then strain the mixture through a fine sieve and skim off any foam from the surface.
- Divide between the ramekins, stand them in the roasting tin and pour boiling water around them to come two thirds up the sides.
- Bake at 150°C (300°F) fan for 40 to 45 minutes, until the custards are set at the edge but still wobble as one piece in the middle when the tin is nudged. An inserted knife should come out clean 1 cm from the rim.
- Cool to room temperature, then chill at least 6 hours so the hard caramel dissolves into sauce. Run a knife round each and invert onto a plate; the caramel should flood out.
Technique
- The water bath is not optional. Direct oven heat takes the custard past 85°C (185°F) at the edges, the egg proteins tighten and the set turns rubbery and weeping.
- The overnight rest is what makes the sauce. Straight from the oven the caramel is still a solid disc; six hours in the fridge draws moisture out of the custard and liquefies it.
- Krem karamele is the standard restaurant dessert across Albania, arriving after almost any meal, a legacy of Italian influence on the coast.
Substitutions
- No lemon peel: a strip of orange zest or a short cinnamon stick infuses just as well, though both are more assertive.
- For a firmer, more sliceable custard baked in one large mould, use 6 whole eggs and no extra yolks and add 15 minutes to the bake.
Variations
- A coffee version infuses 2 tablespoons of ground Turkish coffee in the hot milk and strains it out.
- Some Tirana kitchens bake it in one wide dish and cut it into squares, serving it with the caramel spooned over.
History
Adopted from Italian and French cooking during the twentieth century and now on every Albanian menu.
Frequently asked questions
What is Krem karamele?
Krem karamele is a dessert from Albania: set caramel custard turned out of its mould, the standard restaurant sweet. Adopted from Italian and French cooking during the twentieth century and now on every Albanian menu.
How long does Krem karamele take to make?
Krem karamele takes 20 min of preparation and 50 min plus 6 hr chilling of cooking. The recipe makes 6 ramekins. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Krem karamele?
Yes, within limits. No lemon peel: a strip of orange zest or a short cinnamon stick infuses just as well, though both are more assertive. For a firmer, more sliceable custard baked in one large mould, use 6 whole eggs and no extra yolks and add 15 minutes to the bake.
What is the most important thing to get right in Krem karamele?
Whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar and salt together just until combined. Whisking air in gives a foamy, bubbly custard rather than a dense one.
