Crème Caramel

Crème Caramel, Flan de Leche or Caramel Custard whatever you call, it won't change the deliciousness of this extremely melt in mouth dessert. Each country whether its America, Spain, France, India or any Asian has its own recipe for this caramel coated custard. 

The variation of names and recipes is self explanatory that how much this dessert is appreciated internationally. Whatever you call it or whichever recipe you follow the taste of this silky smooth custard always pleases your taste buds.

Crème Caramel is said to have a French connection which requires very few ingredients which is easily available in our pantry. It has two main steps:

• Making the Caramel
• Making the Custard

Once you master the first step then you'll always get your Crème Caramel perfect. It is a perfect dessert for any party. For parties we usually make multiple dishes in maincourse but when it comes to dessert we search for something quick and easy. This dessert is the answer to all your search queries.

So let's get started:

Ingredients:

1. Evaporated Milk: 1 cup

2. Heavy Whipping Cream: 1 cup

3. Sugar: 1 cup + 1/2 cup

4. Eggs: 3

5. Vanilla Extract: 1 tbsp

6. Hot Water: as required

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Place a pan full of water on medium heat.

3. In a pan add half cup of sugar with 2 tbsp of water and place it on medium heat. Let it boil. Don't stir the caramel otherwise the sugar will crystallize. If required rotate the pan occasionally. As the sugar changes it's color to golden turn off the heat.

4. Now carefully pour the caramel into individual ramekins or baking dish to coat the bottom. Keep them aside.

5. Crack the eggs in a separate bowl and beat them well. Add the evaporated them and mix well until well combined.

6. Add sugar and vanilla extract into the eggs and evaporated milk mixture. Mix well until well incorporated.

7. In the mean time beat the heavy whipping cream until you get soft peaks. Add the cream to the mixture and mix very gently.

8. Pour the custard into the caramel coated ramekins or baking dish. Place the ramekins into the baking tray so that it has enough space in between the ramekins.

9. Add hot water into the baking tray and place the baking tray very carefully into the oven. Bake the custard for around 30-40 mins until set (If you are using baking dish then it will take 50-60 mins).

10. Take the tray out of the oven and let them cool down. Flip the custard into the serving tray and pour the caramel on top of the custard.

11. Enjoy the silky smooth Crème Caramel.

Note:

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Skinny Mango Cheesecake.........A Cheesecake Without Cheese

By now you all know that I have a ginormous sweet tooth. My dinner is not complete unless I have a bowl of anything sweet. But whenever I eat anything sweet I always get a guilt feeling that how much calories its been adding up! This feeling turns me upside down and muddle up the state of bliss.

There was a time when we would gobble up everything without even giving a second thought. That was the time we never thought how would we look like in our profile pic. Well, time changes so do our thoughts. 

I'm a huge fans of Cheesecakes, aren't you? But we all know that cheesecake adds a lot of calories in your waistline.......Sigh :(. So, I decided to cheat these "Caloricious Cheesecakes" without any "Cheese" content in it. Yes, you heard it right: "A Cheesecake Without Cream Cheese". It not only helps you to get rid of that "guilt" but it does full justice to the taste of an original Cheesecake. Isn't that great!

This recipe is very easy and requires very few ingredients. It is also a party pleaser which can be prepared in advance. So let's dig into this recipe of making my version of "Skinny Mango Cheesecakes":

Ingredients:

1. Mango Puree: 1 cup
2. Heavy Whipping Cream: 1 cup
3. Fat Free Yogurt: 1 cup
4. Powdered Sugar to taste
5. Unflavored Gelatin: 2 packets
6. Graham Crackers: 5-6
7. Unsalted Butter(melted): 1/2 cup
8. Vanilla Extract: 1/4 tsp

Method:

Making the crust:

1. Using a food processor or blender grind the graham crackers into fine crumbs. You can substitute graham crackers with digestive biscuits too.

2. Take the graham crackers crumbs in a separate bowl and add the melted butter. Mix it well. 

3.Now take individual greased ramekins or a cake pan and add a layer of graham crackers. Press well and place them in the refrigerator for 15 mins.

Making the filling:

1. Dissolve the gelatin in water as per the instructions on the packet. Mix well and keep it aside.

2. In the meanwhile take heavy whipping cream and whip it until you get soft peaks. At this point add powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat it again for a minute.

3. In a mixing bowl take the yogurt, whipped cream and sugar. Mix well until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. It will take around 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the gelatin in this mixture and mix well until everything is well combined. 

5. Pour this mixture into the ramekins or cake pan. Let it set for 3-4 hours. 

6. In a separate bowl take the mango puree, powdered sugar and add the remaining gelatin mixture. Mix well.

7. Pour this mixture into the ramekins and let it refrigerate for another 3-4 hours.

8. Now hold the ramekins in warm water for 10 seconds. Demold the ramekins on the serving plate.

9. Garnish it the way you like. 

10. Enjoy these skinny cheesecakes without any guilt :)

Note:

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Strawberry Shortcake Shooters......A complete party pleaser

These days my home is filled with gorgeous smell of baking. The nice aroma of freshly baked cakes, cupcakes and cookies is so alluring. I'm not a big fan of cookies and cakes but I do enjoy them during this time of the year to celebrate Christmas and the knocking New Year.

I always feel desserts should be a star of the party because life without sweetness is unthinkable. Having a dessert after appetizer and main course sometimes become challenging so it should be light as much as possible but at the same time no comprise with its taste and looks.

Whenever I have any get-together at my place after preparing the appetizer and main course I hardly have any energy left to work on my dessert. So I usually pick the ones which are instant and hassle free yet gorgeous looking.

There are few things I believe should be kept handy:

• Whipping Cream
• Powdered Sugar
• Vanilla Extract
• Any fresh or frozen fruits

Always have these things handy

If you have these things available in your pantry you can make endless number of desserts. Today I'm sharing "Strawberry Shortcake Shooters" a gorgeous looking, easy to make and hassle free dessert. 

Let's get started:

Ingredients:

1. Vanilla sponge cake: 1 (cut into very small pieces)

2. Whipped cream : 1 cup

3. Strawberry (fresh or frozen): 1 lb

4. Powdered sugar (as required)

5. Vanilla Extract: 1 tbsp

6. Granulated Sugar: 1/2 cup

Method:

1. In a pan put the fresh or frozen strawberries and sprinkle sugar . Let it cook on medium heat for 15-20 mins or the mixture start to thicken. Turn off the heat and let the sauce to cool down.

2. In a mixing bowl pour the heavy whipping cream. Add the powdered sugar. Whip the cream with your hand blender until you get soft peaks. This will take 2-3 mins on medium speed. Add vanilla extract and again beat it until you get stiff peaks.

3. Take the shot glasses and arrange a layer of cake in it. Press the cake gently so that there's no gap left in the glass.

4.  Add a layer of whipped cream and then add a layer of strawberry sauce. Again add a layer of cake and continue this process until your shot glass is full.

5. Garnish it with few mint leaves or sliced strawberries. 

6. Enjoy it right away or refrigerate it and serve cold.

Note:

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Eggless Mango Mousse....No Cook No Bake Mango Mousse

Mango Mousse.......Yes, I know this is not the season of Mangoes but last week when I went out for grocery I saw a can of mango puree which caught my attention. Immediately, chain of "Dessert-full" thoughts ran through my mind because when it comes to Dessert my imaginations get wings and they fly randomly. I have a sweet tooth so does every Bengali and I love to try desserts from every cuisine.

These days fruits and vegetables don't have any season constraints. We can get all our favorite fruits and vegetables all year round but mangoes. We can get them in puree form tough and enjoy its taste throughout the year.

Mango is considered as the king of all fruits and it deserves too. It is also known as national fruit of India where summers are incomplete without them. 

There are endless recipes made from mangoes starting from pickles to sweets. The recipe I am going to share today is Eggless Mango Mousse. It's hassle free and requires very few ingredients.  A Mousse may be sweet or savory. Dessert Mousses are typically made from whipped egg whites or whipped cream and flavored with chocolate or fruit puree. I used Mangoes but you can use any fruit of your choice.

Ingredients:

1. Mango puree: 2 cups (You can use ripe mangoes too and puree it in a blender)

2. Gelatin: 1 tbsp

3. Heavy Whipping Cream: 1 cup

4. Powdered Sugar to taste
5. Strawberries for garnishing (optional)

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl pour the heavy whipping cream. Add the powdered sugar. Whip the cream with your hand blender until you get stiff peaks. You can also use your wire whisk for this. Using electric blender makes your life easy. This will take around 2-3 mins on medium speed.

2. Dissolve the gelatin in water as per the instructions on the packet. Mix well and keep it aside.

3. Now, in a separate bowl take the mango puree. Add the dissolved gelatin and combine well so that the gelatin gets dissolved completely.

4. Now add the whipped cream to this mixture. Fold in the cream very gently. 

5. Check the sweetness and transfer this mixture into a big size serving dish or individual glasses.

6. Refrigerate it for at least an hour or until set. Remove from refrigerator 5 mins prior serving and garnish it as you like.

7. Enjoy your rich and creamy Eggless Mango Mousse  

Note:

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If you want the recipe in Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu (or any other language) click on the Google Translate button on the left side.