Brown sugar steamed custard

Cooking for me is all about sharing. I have never been alone as long as I have been able to share a meal. That’s in fact how I made most friends in my life, around the stove-top and around the table.
This recipe is for my friend Sandra who presently lives in a place that does not have an oven. As a consequence she can’t bake cakes. This is compensated by living at walking distance to the Colosseum, poor girl.
This is a delicious pudding that can be cooked on the stove-top in 20 minutes. It’s not only suitable to those who pursue their dreams in small city apartments but to various other occasions.
For example you can prepare it when your oven is full with other dishes or when it’s so hot that you don’t want to heat up the kitchen any further. Or you wish to save energy because you’re cooking for two.
However the recipe can be as easily baked in  the oven in which case you can double it or triple it for a crowd.
Recipe
Pudding

• 300 ml (1 and 1/3 cup) heavy cream
• 100 gr (scant half cup) dark brown sugar
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sauce

• 2 organic oranges
• 3 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon brandy

If baking, pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. If cooking on the stove-top prepare a shallow saucepan that can hold the pudding in its containers, e.g. individual ramekins.

In a small pan, warm the cream, brown sugar and salt over a medium-low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat. I actually microwave the cream/sugar mixture until warm enough to desolve the sugar.

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and slowly whisk in the hot cream mixture. Get rid of the foam which has formed by straining it into a jug. This improves the custard’s structure.

Pour into 4 x 120ml (1/2 cup) ramekins or heavy custard cups. Cover tightly with a double layer of foil.

Transfer in a shallow pan lined with a kitchen towel as in the picture above. Fill the pan with water until it comes to about a half way up the sides of the ramekins. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 25-35 min. The custards will just set but still wobble slightly in the middle (they will set further on cooling). Remove from the pan.

If baking, transfer the covered ramekins into a deep roasting tin. Fill the tin with water, until it comes to about a half  way up the sides of the ramekins. Put it in the oven for 45 min. Remove and let it cool.

Chill for at least 3 hours before serving.

Sauce

You can make the sauce in advance as well as at the last minute but make sure to add it to the custards just before serving. If you add it too early its acidity will melt the surface of pudding in a quite unsightly way (I have done it 🙂 ).

Halve the oranges and slice thin, less than 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) thick. Arrange in one or two layers in a shallow pan, sprinkle with brown sugar and with a few tablespoon to cover. Cover and simmer on very low heat until the slices are soft. Add brandy. Serve at room temperature or heat up slightly before serving.

In the first picture I have chopped the orange slices before piling it on the custards. Then I have topped them with one piece of my homemade candied peel and curls of dark chocolate.
Serves 4