DRIVE BY RECIPE: EASY Bread and Butter Pudding with a little caramel, aka, I was home, I was hungry

I had bread, I had eggs..  that sounds like breakfast to me  The fun of breakfast when you're faced with bread and eggs is the combination that you use.  Anyone can make toast and throw an egg on it.  Not me, not today, sweetie, not today. 

On this particular day I thought to myself, "self...I need a good old fashioned british food... some bread and butter pudding". 

DRIVE BY BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING 

(WITH CARAMEL)

I mixed up 3 of my backyard eggs, some milk, a little salt and a small palmful of sugar. I add milk till it measures about 1 3/4 cup liquid.  Mine is screaming yellow because of my chickens' yolks are that color.  They are happy birds.

Then cut up some ciabatta slices, buttered the slices, sprinkle the smallest amount of sugar on the bread, slice it into little squares and toss it all in a dish.

Pour the eggy mixture over the bread and turned the oven on to 375.

Mmmmm, eggy gooey goodness. Press the bread down so it will  soak up the yummyness. I also was sure to let some of the pointy bits stick above so they'd get crispy and crunchy.

        

While the oven heats and the bread soaks, I read a little of my book...with company, it's weird to be me sometimes

   

375 degrees and 45 minutes later !!DING!! Lookie what I found in the (toaster)oven waiting for me *joy*

I will admit, sometimes my food tries very very hard for me and this is absolutely one of those times.  LOOK!  IT's a mountain!  oh I love the puffiness when it comes out of the oven.

Pouring a little caramel sauce on while it's puffy and hot... the more in my bowl.
   

I'm pretending this is my serving serving size but we all know I'm going to eat it all... well, I'm sharing a bit with teenageson but then, the rest is all me.

I poured a river of thick and sticky warm caramel down over for it to settle into the hills and valleys of my breakfast. It's warm and crisp and soft and thick and sticky and sweet and salty. As good as you think it is - it's better.  I officially don't care what happens for the rest of the day.

DRIVE BY CARAMEL SAUCE

There are no measurements here because this is a process not a recipe, quantity doesn't matter here, it's how you do what you do.

Put some sugar, maybe 3/4 cup? in a saucepan, I put a couple of tablespoons of water to moisten it and get it started and put it on high heat.  
NO stirring, swirling is fine. 
Swirl until it's the color you like then let it go one more second, take it off heat and pour in heavy cream until it's the color you like.  It WILL boil up so use a BIGGER pan than the size you think you need.  
Boil a minute or so then add more cream if it needs it, add a little salt and a little vanilla. 

There you go, it'll thicken a bit when it sits.  I like it pourable when it's cold so I added a little extra cream, oh yes I did.

Oh look at my lovely!

 

There you have it, breakfast :D  

/enjoy

MY version of the Brazilian Flan, yeah, you're going to want to make this

I grew up enjoying a custard dessert with caramel on the bottom, it's called creme caramel.
I love creme caramel.

I moved to Texas and voila, my beloved creme caramel is called Flan.
Ok, I'm easy, I still love creme caramel Flan.  Ok, Flan.

THEN while researching something completely different I stumbled upon Brazilian Flan.  Seriously?  it appears the only difference is the blending and the addition of sweetened condensed milk.  Wow, there's nothing wrong with that at all.

After some more research and testing, I came up with this, my version of the Brazilian Flan.  It's thicker and creamier than it's French and Mexican relations and that's ok in my book.  It's a snap to throw together, makes a ton (10 ramekins!) and did I mention delicious??  It's also in a jar, Flan in a Jar, baby.

It occupies that spot in time and space between a flan and a creme brulee.  It's custardy and creamy and light and sweet and rich all at the same time.  You're going to have to make this.

BRAZILIAN STYLE CREME CARAMEL FLAN in a Jar - MY VERSION

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (or make your own)
1 (scant) can (use empty ^^ can) milk
4 eggs, Large or better
pinch salt
dribble of vanilla
nutmeg if you're in the mood

Combine in a blender and blend till well combined, leave to settle and the bubbles to subside, or skim them off.

Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar in  a 4 cup pyrex measuring cup, add a little water to moisten.  Microwave on high about 6 minutes, until it's the color you like.

Divide hot sugar mixture between 10 ramekins or the 4 oz glass jars I use for everything.  Put them in a dish with a towel on the bottom then divide the caramel.

Fill with the milk egg mixture

Pour hot water to 1/2 up the sides of the containers and pop ainto a 350 preheated oven for 40 minutes.  The top browns, don't freak out, it's supposed to.  The condensed milk is the culprit, don't fret.

When they're set but a little jiggly, transfer them to a rack and leave to cool.  Pop the lids on the jars and throw them in the fridge till tomorrow or until they're really cold.

Invert onto a plate or just dig in.

Rich, cold, caramelly, sumptuous, delicious, tasty, yummy, moorish, the reason to get out of bed in the morning, the middle of the day or the middle of the night.

You're welcome :)

ENJOY!

Put the ramekins or jars in a pan om a towel.  Mix the egg and milks in a blender and set aside

  

 Make the caramel in the microwave, this took about 6 minutes on high.  I'd say be careful, it's hot, but then  we all know boiling sugar is hot so I'm not going to say it, we're not idiots.

 

Divide the caramel between the jars then fill with the milk and egg mixture.  Bake for 40 then remove to a rack to cool completely.  

Put them in the fridge, covered and leave them to get icy cold.  

(confession:  I love them warm)

 

 

That's it, make them, enjoy them then make some more :) 

Tracy

QUICK Pressure cooker toffee, caramel, golden love, dulce de leche, make your own

A QUICKIE for you; 

I've been cooking sweetened condensed milk in a can, on the stove top, for 3 hours, for years and years.  It's the base of Banoffee pie.  Cook a pie shell, slice bananas in the cooled shell and pour THIS all over it, chill.   

I wanted to know if my pressure cooker would do it easier and without blowing up. 
It did and it didn't.

Don't fret or freak out, all the online "recipes" are rather horror mongering about the whole thing. This is easy and you're going to go and do it now.  It keeps, unopened, in the cupboard forever and it keeps, in the fridge for a while.  Make something with it, it's SO SO SO much more than the sum of it's cooked in the can parts. 

Don't worry, just do it. 

Tracy's Pressure cooker toffee sauce, caramel, dulce de leche, whatever you call your version. 

What you'll need

1.  Can of sweetened condensed milk
2.  water
3.  pressure cooker

What you'll need to do

Remove the label from your can of sweetened condensed milk.  Put it on a rack in your pressure cooker, turn the can on it's side so it will fit without passing the FULL mark. 

Cover the can with water. Lock and load, 16 minutes
   

DING DING DING

When the cooker dings, unplug it, do not release the pressure, just leave it.  Unplug it do that it doesn't stay on WARM. 

When the pressure is gone, about 15 minutes or so, remove the can, with tongs and put it on a towel to cool

   

When the can is cool enough to hold but still warm, open it.  Stir it with a knife, don't ask, it's just how I do it, and either use it or transfer it to a sealed container (don't leave it in the can once it's opened) and pop it in the fridge.  Nuke, gently, as you need it just to loosen it up.  *I* leave the sealed can in the cupboard without incident and have left it for months!!  

  

Spread it on toast, on fruit, use it as a dip, in a pie, in a flan, in custard, on a spoon, dip bananas in it, use it on ice cream, as ice cream or did I mention, just on a spoon? 

Put it in a pie!  Make my easy press in pie crust, bake it, when it's cool, fill it with this warm caramel and shove it in the fridge. DONE!  EASY! and you'll be a ROCK star

Oh and you're welcome :D  you're going to love this. 

/Tracy

Pressure cooker creme caramel or flan or custard

I'm on a mission to go through my recipes and see which are perfectly suited to cook in my Nesco pressure cooker. I don't usually post two in one day but these are desperate times, I nailed and I mean NAILED the perfect creme caramel in my pressure cooker and I can't wait an appropriate number of days between posts.

It's similar to my standard oven creme caramel recipe here:
http://www.tracycooksinaustin.com/2011/04/creme-caramel-flan.html

Today, I added an extra yolk.  I felt like some additional richness and it didn't disappoint.  I think it would be delicious either way so if you only have one egg, don't not make this!

Tracy's Pressure Cooker Creme Caramel (or Flan or Custard if you leave out the caramel)

1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp water
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp sugar
1 whole egg
1 yolk
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt

Quick Recipe Version

Melt sugar and water in 2 cup glass measure in microwave until it's caramel (3 mins?)
Divide between 4 ramekins or small glass jars
Combine remaining ingredients and divide between jars
Pressure cook, on trivet, on LOW pressure for 3 minutes.
Allow pressure to reduce naturally.
Chill, eat.

Long, Rambling, Commentary with Pictures Recipe

Arrange your glass vessels and prepare for delight. 

Nuke sugar and water in a 2 cup glass measure in the microwave, it's safer than the stove I think because it's already in a vessel with a spout.  Pour carefully and you'll be just fine.  The nice thing about the glass cup is that you can see the color of the caramel exactly.  Take it out slightly before you think it's perfect.

  

In a new 2 cup glass measuring cup ((the first one is TOO HOT and will CRACK if you put cold milk in it)) combine milk (no need to scald milk for custard anymore) and some of my Chef-y vanilla bean paste or extract if you either a) don't have this stuff or b) don't want specs of vanilla in your custard.  I like it. Add one whole egg and one yolk, the sugar and salt.  Mix well but don't get bubbles.  I did get bubbles in my zeal and excitement and as a result there's dots in my custard.  Now then, dots in custard isn't the end of the world and hardly anything that will get you drummed out of the home cook ranks but if you care then don't get bubbles.  If you must be dot-less in your final product then combine the ingredients, let it sit 5-10 minutes then strain carefully and you'll be dot-free and able to hold your head high at the assembly of the I obviously took time to prepare my creme caramel not like HER in her pressure cooker excitement who didn't wait or strain and LOOK, has DOTS in her custard ((oh the shame)

Divide the custard between your caramel laden ramekins, or, if you're going caramel free, into your plain ramekins.
  
The mixture fills the 2 ramekins and 2 jars perfectly!  I am doing 2 sizes for experiment purposes  *both work fine!*  Place your custards on a trivet in a pressure cooker with about 2 cups of water in the bottom.  LOCK AND LOAD 3 MINUTES LOW PRESSURE.
  
DING!  when your timer goes off, unplug the unit and leave it to come down on it's own, I set my timer for 10 minutes and it was ready to open without any fuss.

OH look at these beauties.  I admit after I put them in I grated a little nutmeg on them.  Remove from cooker and put in the fridge to set.  Mine took a little over an hour but then I was in a hurry to blog.  Run a thin knife around the edge, and tip it directly upside down onto a plate.  Let it stand a moment before you lift the ramekin and you'll be rewarded by slightly more of the caramel yumminess.
  

I cannot STAND the wait... tick tick tick.  Oh, lovely!
  
What a thing of beauty, it's very soft and silken and creamy and smoooooooooth.  YES, there are dots in my custard, I left bubbles and didn't strain.  ::hangs head in shame::  In case you're interested, the dots are purely aesthetic and don't affect the taste or texture at all.  The specs are vanilla from the paste.
  
I'll sample for you now...
       

You loved it.  You really, truly, loved it.  THREE minutes in a pressure cooker instead of half an hour in a water bath in the oven?  Oh heck yes, I'm a solid convert!  

You're going to be delighted, go make it... quickly

/enjoy